Grieving couple speak out as hospital trust admits liability over baby death

During a planned appointment at Telford’s Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in 2018, Charlotte Jackson reported to staff she had lost fluid overnight, had severe stomach pain and her baby’s movement in the womb had reduced.

Charlotte was under consultant-led care as she was deemed to be a high-risk pregnancy.

She said an anaesthetist, who told her the hospital was short-staffed, said she had probably wet the bed and did not seek a more senior review before sending her home.

Two days later she called the hospital concerned she had not felt her baby move since the previous lunchtime.

Charlotte, 29, of Bridgnorth, was told to attend hospital and following tests, she and her partner James Harris, 30, were told their baby Jacob was stillborn.

Charlotte was sent home and returned to hospital the following day to deliver Jacob.

Following their ordeal, they instructed medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate and help them access specialist support.

The couple have now spoken for the first time about their loss after Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, which runs PRH, admitted liability and agreed an undisclosed settlement.

Meanwhile the boss of the hospital trust has said a review has been carried out to ensure that all lessons from the incident have been learned.

It comes as the Ockenden Review continues to investigate more than 1,800 maternity cases involving the trust stretching back decades.

Law firm Irwin Mitchell is representing a number of parents who say they have suffered as a result of failings in maternity care at the trust.

During legal submissions Irwin Mitchell argued that the trust failed to arrange a caesarean by October 31 when Charlotte complained of reduced movement and stomach pains.

The trust admitted it failed to adequately monitor and respond to Charlotte’s concerns. With better monitoring an early delivery would have been arranged.

Charlotte said: “When I found out I was expecting we were delighted. That it was Mother’s Day made it feel all the more special.

“Throughout my pregnancy with Jacob I was very positive in mood and was very much looking forward to being a mum again.

“I attended hospital a few times and attended various appointments but at no point did the staff seem like there was anything to be wary of. But that all changed during my pre-surgery assessment.

“I was quite worried and upset. Jacob had always been a very active baby so when I noticed that his movements were reduced I had a gut feeling that something was not right. However, I was shocked when I was told that it was a one off and I’d probably wet the bed.

“Despite my fears it seemed like they wanted me out of hospital because it was busy. That fear just grew over the next couple of days.

“When I went back to hospital I tried to tell myself everything was going to be fine but deep down I knew it was bad news.

“Giving birth to Jacob was absolutely horrific. It’s almost impossible to put into words the emotion of it all, knowing your baby had already died.”

In early 2020, Charlotte and James found out they were expecting again. Charlotte gave birth to son Ronnie-Jack in July last year.

Ronnie-Jack also has an older brother, Noah, aged six and a sister Elsie, aged five.

Charlotte added: “When we found out we were expecting again we were overcome with a mixture of emotions. My pregnancy was overshadowed by a constant anxiety every time I felt pain.

“It was just a huge relief when Ronnie-Jack was born and we got him home. I couldn’t believe he was with us and I had to keep pinching myself.

“However, the pain at losing Jacob remains as deep as it did when he died. I will always remember that awful day when I was told he had died.

“I have some very bad days where I feel the loss of Jacob very strongly. We call Jacob’s grave his 'special garden'.

“When I recently took Noah and Ronnie-Jack there, they were laughing together and it suddenly struck me that there should be another child there and I became very upset. Noah has a friend called Jacob and there was a time when they were playing and I heard another parent shout 'Jacob, Noah'. It struck me that it should be me shouting those two names together.

“We will never forget Jacob. He will always be part of our family and his brothers will grow up knowing all about him and how much we love him. It just breaks our hearts that he is not with his brothers causing mischief.

“We put our faith in the staff and were badly let down by them. That we are not alone in what happened to us makes it all the more shocking.

“Our hearts go out to all the other families who have been affected by maternity issues at these hospitals. That’s why we felt it was important to speak out. "Nothing can bring Jacob back but what has happened to the families can never be forgotten and improvements in care need to be made.”

Eleanor Giblin, who is representing Charlotte and James for Irwin Mitchell, said: “This is a tragic case in which totally avoidable failings in Charlotte’s care ended in devastating circumstances.

“The issues in Charlotte’s care echo many of the well-documented issues that have been highlighted in the Ockenden Review, including more senior doctors not having an overview of care.

“While nothing can ever make up for their loss we’re pleased that we have at least been able to provide Charlotte and James with the answers they deserve."

Louise Barnett, chief executive of SaTH, said: “We have offered our sincere condolences to Ms Jackson and Mr Harris over the loss of their son Jacob and do so again today.

"We have recognised the shortfalls in the care offered to them and have subsequently undertaken extensive investigations to carefully review the events that occurred to ensure that all the lessons from this tragic incident are fully learned.”