A HEARTBROKEN mum claims her baby died after she was left alone to give birth by herself at a scandal-hit NHS hospital.
Ashley Lamb lost little Lexie at three months old following delays in care at two Nottingham hospitals – both of which are at the centre of one of the largest maternity scandals in NHS history.
Baby Lexie with mum Ashley Lamb[/caption]
Lexie passed away when she was three months old[/caption]
The 27-year-old says she went into labour at 23 weeks pregnant after developing an infection, which she claims was the result of a procedure botched by a trainee doctor.
Despite being classed as high-risk, she was left on the ward with a trainee midwife when she suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to push.
The rookie midwife ran off to get help – but by the time she returned, traumatised Ashley had given birth to tiny Lexie, who weighed just 570 grams – little more than a bag of flour.
When she flagged concerns about being left alone, Ashley said she was told: “Sometimes these things happen.”
Lexie was rushed into neo-natal intensive care with brain damage and a perforated bowel.
Despite multiple surgeries and Lexie having to be resuscitated several times, the decision was eventually made to turn off the machines keeping her alive.
Ashley has gone on to launch a medical negligence claim against Nottingham University Hospitals NHS trust over the care she received.
She has since settled her claim and received a payout, but the trust refused to admit liability.
As a result, the mum says she is still without the answers she deserves.
Ashley, of Newark, Nottinghamshire, said: “I didn’t want to have to take legal action. But I felt I had no choice.
“They weren’t listening to my concerns about the care I had received, and they were disputing so much of what I remembered.
“I was desperate for someone to take it seriously. I’ve never had a proper apology. Just legal letters telling me I’m mistaken.
“That’s what’s been so hard – losing my baby and then being treated like I imagined it all.
“I just want people to listen. I want them to hear what it feels like when your baby dies, and then you’re told your memory of it all is wrong.
“My daughter mattered. This matters. If we keep quiet nothing will change and I want to speak out so that others don’t have to go through the same.”
‘Terrifying’ ordeal
Ashley underwent a routine scan at King’s Mill Hospital in Sutton-in-Ashfield in March 2021, when she was about 20 weeks along with baby Lexie, which identified a possible heart defect.
However, there was then a “significant delay” in referring her to the Fetal Medicine Unit at Queen’s Medical Centre for an amniocentesis.
The test normally performed between 15 and 17 weeks’ gestation involves taking a small sample of amniotic fluid from the uterus using a needle, to detect if the baby has any genetic conditions.
Ashley didn’t have hers until she was almost 23 weeks pregnant, carried out at Nottingham City Hospital on April 12, 2021.
What was the ‘biggest NHS maternity scandal’?
Some 201 babies and nine mothers needlessly died in the biggest maternity scandal in NHS history, at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust.
An inquiry by top midwife Donna Ockenden found a litany of devastating errors, with the findings revealed in March 2022.
It found maternity units were short-staffed for years and bosses refused to take responsibility for mistakes.
Alongside the tragic deaths, 94 babies suffered life-changing brain injuries as a result of “catastrophic” care.
Nearly 1,500 families were devastated by death, injury and disability.
The report looked at more than 1,800 complaints at the Midlands hospitals, with most from between 2000 and 2019.
It found 40 per cent of stillbirths had not been investigated by the trust, similarly with 43 per cent of neonatal deaths.
It led staff members to come forward and paint a picture of a “clique with a culture of undermining and bullying”, where concerns were ignored by bosses.
The investigation found an obsession with keeping caesarean section rates low and promoting “natural births” needlessly cost lives.
Some women were even blamed for their own deaths, while major incidents were “inappropriately downgraded” to avoid scrutiny. Patient concerns were dismissed.
The “toxic culture” was left unchecked for more than two decades.
Ms Ockenden warned the failings identified by her report were “not unique” and called for all maternity units in England to be overhauled.
She claims she was injected four times, because a rookie doctor was unable to get a suitable sample of amniotic fluid.
Ashley described the experience as “frightening and traumatic” and says she was not warned carrying out the procedure at almost 23 weeks could increase the risk of early labour.
Shortly after she developed an infection, went into labour and gave birth prematurely at Nottingham City Hospital on April 19.
Lexie, sadly died at Queen’s Medical Centre on July 17, 2021.
Ashley, who also has a seven-year-old daughter, added: “I didn’t have the best care right from the start.
“When I first fell pregnant I mentioned my other daughter had a heart condition, but a midwife wrote in her notes was the word ‘syndrome’ with a question mark.
“I should have been referred from this point for an amniocentesis which is usually undertaken at 11-17 weeks.
“However I was 23 weeks and it led to an infection, which in turn was what caused my early labour.
I was screaming for help and she went off to find it, but it was several minutes until anybody else entered the room and by then I had given birth
Ashley Lamb
“Hospital policy is that the needle shouldn’t go in more than two times – well it went in four times.
“It was a trainee doctor who went in three times without any joy, at which point the supervising consultant took over.
“I didn’t want the procedure doing really but I was told it was important, without being informed of the risks which were involved.
“I truly don’t feel that the risks were properly explained to me and I don’t believe the right processes were followed.
“Around six days later I went into labour and had the neo-natal intensive care team all in.
“But at the point where it came to giving birth I was left all by myself to deliver Lexie, which was terrifying.”
Her partner Jamie Ragsdale-Lowe, 29, was not there as he had gone home to feed their dog after the couple were told “it would probably take ages” for Ashley to give birth.
Baby Lexie with her dad Jamie Ragsdale-Lowe[/caption]
Ashley said: “I was in the room with a trainee midwife, I believe it was a midwife, but she was definitely a trainee and I told her I needed to push.
“I was screaming for help and she went off to find it, but it was several minutes until anybody else entered the room and by then I had given birth.
“I didn’t know what to do, should I leave her on the bed? It was really frightening and then all of a sudden the room was full.
“She was taken into intensive care, she had severe brain bleeds and a bowel perforation, she couldn’t breathe on her own.
“I asked why I was left by myself in the room and the response I got was ‘sometimes these things happen’.”
‘Lessons learned’
Ashley believes failures in her care had contributed to Lexie’s death, but the Trust hasn’t admitted liability and even disputed certain issues she raised.
“I was told that if I had given birth full term than Lexie would have been healthy and survived,” the mum said.
“I believe it was a combination of both the amniocentesis and being left to give birth by myself, which may have contributed to her death.
“Brain damage can happen with premature babies and she had severe brain damage, so it could have been a factor. The problem is the hospital have never given any straight answers.
“They disputed the needle went in four times, well I can safely say it did, they are telling me I’m not remembering it right – that I’m essentially lying.
“My partner Jamie was there and watched the procedure happen – he said they definitely went in four times.
“Also, I had four plasters covering the needle punctures.”
Hospitals investigated in maternity review
A rapid maternity investigation is being led by Baroness Amos with the aim of improving England’s maternity and neonatal care.
The 14 trusts under the spotlight include:
- Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust
- Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust
- Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust
- Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- Oxford University Hospital
- Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust
- Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust
- The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn
- University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
- University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust
- University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust
- Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust / Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
Read more on the investigation here.
Following her loss, Ashley lodged a formal complaint with the Trust and attended several meetings to raise her concerns.
However, she says she did not feel listened to and was left frustrated by what she describes as inconsistent information and a defensive response.
The Trust is currently under national scrutiny as part of the Ockenden Review, which is investigating longstanding concerns around maternity care.
Ashley says she fears her case is part of a wider pattern of denial and doesn’t believe any meaningful learning has taken place.
She added: “If someone had truly learned from this – if better training was in place to guide how and when this procedure is carried out – then maybe some good could come from what happened.
“But the Trust isn’t listening, so I don’t have any faith that lessons have been learnt.”
Ashley instructed Fletchers Solicitors to investigate the care she had received.
A legal claim was brought against Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, alleging a failure to provide timely referral to specialists, a failure to properly inform her of the risks associated with a late amniocentesis, and substandard performance of the procedure itself.
A consultant in obstetrics and feto-maternal medicine later acknowledged it was “not normal” to insert the needle four times during an amniocentesis, though “occasionally it can happen if it is difficult getting the needle tip into the amniotic cavity.”
The consultant also confirmed that making four attempts increased the risk of preterm labour.
Trust’s response
Tracy Pilcher, Chief Nurse at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “I would like to offer my sincere condolences to Ashley and her family for the loss of their daughter.
“I would also like to apologise for her experiences surrounding her complaint and her not feeling listened to.
“We recognise the distress that this caused and for that we are very sorry.
“If she would like to meet with us again to address anything further we are more than happy to meet with her and her family.
“Although we cannot comment on the specifics of individual cases, we would like to reassure the family that we will be taking any learnings from the case forwards.
“We also recognise the importance and value of Ashley’s experience being part of the Independent Maternity Review (IMR) led by Donna Ockenden.
“We are thankful to those families, like Ashley’s, who have shared their experiences with us, and for the opportunity it gives us to learn from these experiences.
“We know there is much more for us to do, but we remain committed to improving our services so that we provide the high-quality maternity services that women and their families deserve.”
Ashley said with no admission of liability or a meaningful apology, she has been left feeling not only devastated but dismissed.
Francesca Paul, a solicitor at Fletchers Solicitors, who represented the family, said: “This is not only a tragic loss for a young mother, but a troubling case where the Trust’s response has left a grieving parent feeling unheard and discredited.
“Our investigations supported her concerns, including serious issues around the timing and conduct of the amniocentesis.
“But instead of engaging meaningfully, the Trust has chosen to challenge her memory of events – an approach that only compounds the trauma families like hers face.”
It comes after experts warned that mums and babies are at risk due to “toxic” cover-up culture in the NHS – and the full list of hospitals being investigated under a rapid maternity review was revealed.
