Report finds pregnancy fears ‘ignored’ by Essex hospital before stillbirth

Papers have revealed that a mother said concerns about her baby’s movements during the late stages of her pregnancy were ignored by staff before she suffered a stillbirth.  She had reported reduced foetal movements but had been sent home from Basildon Hospital.

Board papers for the Mid and South Essex NHS Trust revealed an investigation was underway into the deaths of four babies in August.

The papers revealed the pregnancy had been “uneventful” until week 33, when the mother reported headaches and blurred vision.  She returned the following day reporting no foetal movement, and an ultrasound confirmed her baby had died.

Alexander Field, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the trust, said “Any baby loss or stillbirth is a tragic event, and we investigate these fully and take learnings from each incident to reduce risk.

“These incidents are rare, we support around 1,000 births a month across our hospitals and most are born safely with no complications.

“The trust is required to have systems and processes in place that support effective reporting and learning if things go wrong in the delivery of healthcare.”

Last year, the Care Quality Commission rated the trust and its three hospitals as “requires improvement”.

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (jacquelinevance@chadlaw.co.uk), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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