Shrewsbury maternity scandal: 201 babies could have been saved, says report

“A catalogue of tragedies” - that's how the senior midwife Donna Ockenden described her review into maternity services at the Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust.

After a series of delays it was published today, and shows the scale of failings in what is now the worst maternity scandal this country has ever seen.

Her team looked at the cases of 1,500 families, and found hundreds of avoidable deaths of babies and mothers.

They found a toxic culture so pervasive that even in the last few weeks, staff have been coming forward to report their concerns about patient safety.

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[jenparry]

My heart goes out to these Mothers. The words, 'it's just one of those things', does nothing. It's a cop out. I lost my baby in 1970. I wil never forget how cruel staff were, nurses treat me like a criminal. Much worse when the doctor told me, he asked, 'Why are you crying, you can have more'. While laughing. If he thought it was a joke i failed to get it. Baby was 42 hours old when he died. Only saw him once when my husband took me ICU. Staff refused, wasn't even there when he died. I had been alone in a room for 3 days when i was told, 'They were sending me home because i was upsetting the other patients'. I was confused and bewildered, i'd never seen anyone but staff. Didn't know what my crime was. I neither smoked nor drank at that time. Before they were frowned on. Didn't even know if he was christened. My Mother assured me he would be. I know from expieriance it is gut wrenching.

[bigbang]

So why are these consultants, doctors, nurses and management not arrested for killing those babies and mothers.

[markb]

Not one single person involved in this absolutely terrible tragedy will lose their jobs..NOT ONE. Disgraceful .

[deborahratcliffe]

My heart goes out to all all these families. I went into Shrewsbury hospital sept 3rd 1984. I was six months pregnant and in immense pain and bleeding. I was alone and not with my husband any more. I was shoved away in a room on my own so I wouldn’t upset the other pregnant women. I was constantly shouted at by the nurses for saying I was in pain and dismissed by the doctors who said your not in labour. At one point my call alarm was taken from me. Sometime in the night I remember a kind nurse coming in to hold my hand. The next thing I remember it was obviously the next day and I had this urge to push. A cleaner came in, I later found out it was her first day on the job. She called out for another cleaner as the nurses were all busy and they began to help me give birth to my daughter who was breech. When a doctor finally came in to help I saw it was the doctor who had insisted I wasn’t in labour. I remember shouting at her saying “ I told you I was in labour and you did nothing to stop it”. She looked at me as if I was a piece of dirt. So my daughter was born at 26 weeks, Gemma. Weighing 1lb 14 ounces. I was told she was going to be transferred to Birmingham if she was still alive by the time it came. Several hrs passed. No one told me how she was, no one took me to see her. No one checked to see if I was ok. Still lay in soiled sheets. An official looking woman came to see me and I can still remember her words clearly “ was your child a wanted child because I want you to know that there’s a married couple next door who’s also had a premature baby and there is only one place available right now in Birmingham for one baby, I know your not with your husband any more. If I hadn’t stood up for myself and fought for the right for my daughter to have a chance of life then they would have been prepared to let her die. She needed to be in Birmingham as Shrewsbury didn’t have the facilities there to cope with a baby born so early. It’s been going on for years, I’m glad they’ve finally been investigated. There’s been horror stories about the maternity unit for decades . And yes my daughter got that ride to Birmingham, got her incubator and the help and care she needed. She’s a grown woman now in her thirties with children of her own. If the cleaner hadn’t found me I dread to think what could have happened to my baby any myself as I was haemorrhaging badly when they found me.

[PrincessAcacia]

I asked the midwives and nurses why I had such painful irregular contractions with little to no breaks in them during my labor and was told “we don’t know, we can’t predict how your body reacts, we just deal with whatever happens!” - wtf.

[pixelperfectInteriors]

there are so many failures from the NHS and zero accountability. It does nothing to say "we've done a review and you did wrong" when there are no consequences.

[johnbratley]

One word sums it up ARROGANCE, couple that with a threatening and oppressive regime and staff end up too scared to complain. My daughter, a nurse herself, had her first child at Shrewsbury and was so horrified at the uncaring off handed attitude she experienced there that she had her second child at home. We employed a brilliant Doula who used the water pool technique. Both my grandchildren are bright, happy and healthy.

[jakkuwolfinsomnia]

It hurts me so much that so many lives have been lost, it kills me. I can’t imagine the unimaginable pain and lifelong torment the parents, Mothers and families go through. I’m aspiring to be a doctor and this would honestly break me.. no apology or amount of words or condolences could ever fill the void or heal the scars in their hearts

[Buddhavibez]

the people who know, and who do not speak up, disturb me as much as the ones directly responsible. Shame on all

[CompelledUsername]

I am sorry, but there should be a massive lawsuit on the NHS’s hands. People need to be in jail.

[danigomes]

Give a voice to all the black women and babies who die at concerning rates for NO REASON.

[oldengrumps]

Not one brought to justice and left to continue what they are doing. Disgraceful!

[ajakuk]

I gave birth 6 weeks ago. When I had my last baby 11 years ago I suffered a heart attack. Because natural births can cause extreme stress on the heart they recommend a c section in a bigger hospital. So a larger team can look after me and my baby. I was then forced to have a natural birth. Luckily we are OK.

[hayley]

My best friend in Kent told me about her childbirth, about 3 years ago, that was over 30 hours long and eventually led to a C-section. The way the nurses treated her a dismissed her was horrendous. The worst part was when her husband overheard the surgeons outside, preparing for her surgery, discussing who's life was more important: the mother's or the baby's and one surgeon said "if I had to choose I would absolutely let the mother go to save the child". Of course her husband saw red and went ballistic. Thankfully, a nurse who also overheard the discussion and, in my friends words, "was actually a nice one that did help me feel better" stepped in to help calm everyone down and did scold the surgeons.

She was contacted by the maternity manager and asked if she wanted to go ahead and file a complaint. I told her she should've and should've pressed charges but she said she was so exhausted by the whole ideal and just thankful to have a healthy baby girl at the end of it all that she wanted to turn all her attention to.

[snsn]

On another note we need health secretaries with actual healthcare background and experience.

[Vic]

Recommendations and apologies are not good enough when a baby has Past a way Unnecessarily No amount of fake apologies and Over rehearsed statements of lessons O Well be learned will make up for the fact That it did not need to happen in the 1st place

[Ron.S.]

And that’s why I took my wife to Harley street every 3 weeks for a private check up (£300!!). I filmed the ultrasound and compared it with the NHS one. I need to mention that it was a risky pregnancy of twins.
I had a feeling of EXACTLY what happened to her - placenta abrupter - and I demanded a C Section.
I wasted no time and spoke nicely with the consultant obstetrician in charge of the unit, told him what I want to happen and that all is documented and filmed and in case it isn’t detected and something will happen to my babies or wife, he’ll go bankrupt. A letter from a solicitor was accompanied.
The next morning, my wife was in the main theatre and everything went smoothly.
My son’s placenta was partially abrupted… a few more hours/a day and it would be a horror story.

[johnpryce]

There should never be fear to speak out never!

[GSL]

That is absolutly terrifying! The stuff needs to have places, where they can tell anonym

[abdulhaque]

What a shame for human beings we live in civilised world and this happen in England 🇬🇧 what a shame.