A mother was told by a major UK hospital that her baby daughter was stillborn before later learning that she had been rejected by a mortuary because she was still alive. The “sickening” case is one of 20 being investigated at the John Radcliffe University Hospital in Oxford as part of a review ordered by Health Secretary Wes Streeting into “moral failure” at the NHS facility. Emma Cox, who gave birth to twins when she was 17 years old in 2011, went into spontaneous labour while 24 weeks pregnant and recounted the horrific few hours that followed, before she learned that both children had died.
“I was told that one of them was stillborn and the other one was taken and resuscitated and taken to the neonatal unit,” she said, in reports jointly published by Channel 4 News and the New Statesman. “A short time later, Lilly was brought back to me, and they said the mortuary was unable to take her because she was actually alive.” The newborn was then reportedly left on a hospital radiator for 12 hours before passing away.
Oxford University Hospitals Trust is among 12 trusts under a rapid maternity review led by Baroness Amos, after the investigation heard from over 20 families who had lost babies, had children born with major disabilities or personally suffered harm as a result of poor care services.
As well as documenting disturbing cases, the news outlets were told the trust had secretly recorded a patient support group founded by Rebecca Matthews, who said she was denied a caesarean section despite developing the serious pregnancy-related condition pre-eclampsia.
Ms Matthews, whose child is severely disabled and wheelchair-bound, allegedly said she was “tempted to barricade the doors … and set fire to the whole building with everyone in it” during a meeting. A maternity researcher who recorded the session reported the comments to the police, who took no further action.
Fellow group members maintained she had made a “throwaway comment” as her frustrations bubbled over, and Ms Matthews described the “covert” recording as a major breach of trust.
“It was recorded without our consent … our experiences of sharing all of that trauma and the harm that we thought we were sharing in a safe space,” she said. “We were absolutely speechless.”
Mr Streeting also described the recording as a “sickening betrayal” of the patients and said he had asked NHS England to launch an “immediate” investigation into the trust’s practices.
Simon Crowther, Interim Chief Executive at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “At Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, we recognise the profound responsibility entrusted to us in caring for women, babies and families during some of the most significant and vulnerable moments of their lives.
“We extend our heartfelt apologies to any family who has not received the standard of care they deserve, and our condolences to those who tragically have experienced loss.
“We work hard to listen with care and compassion to the concerns that have been raised, and we remain fully committed to learning from them. The Trust is participating openly and transparently in the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation led by Lady Amos, and we welcome this opportunity to reflect, improve, and ensure that every voice is heard.
“Over recent years, we have taken meaningful steps to strengthen and improve our maternity services. This has included significant investment in our workforce, with the recruitment of 54 additional midwives.
“We have improved clinical training and strengthened leadership across the service. We have also invested in our estates and facilities to improve the environment in which care is delivered. We have also made improvements to our bereavement services to ensure that families experiencing loss receive compassionate, specialist support.
“However, we recognise that there is much more to do and we remain resolute in our determination to go further.”