In UK, inadequate care left 300 babies dead or brain-damaged, says report  

If a report is to be believed, around 300 babies have either died or were left brain-damaged because of inadequate care at an NHS trust in Shropshire.

A five-year investigation, which will conclude next week, seems to have found that mothers were denied caesarean sections and forced to suffer traumatic births. This was done due to an alleged preoccupation for hitting “normal” birth targets, reported The Sunday Times.

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Between 2000 and 2019, the probe has analysed the experiences of 1,500 families at Shrewsbury and Telford hospital trust. It found that at least 12 mothers had died while giving birth. Some families lost more than one child in separate incidents, the paper reported.

Donna Ockenden, who is an expert midwife and had also led the inquiry with the input of over 90 midwives and doctors, said her team had been “shocked and saddened” by witnessing the scale of the tragedy.

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The report of Ockenden looks to reveal that hundreds of babies were stillborn, died shortly after birth or were left permanently brain-damaged. Many babies also had fractured skulls or broken bones, or were left with life-changing disabilities.

“There were numerous opportunities for the system to wake up and realise that there was a problem at this trust. There have been a number of occasions where families tried to be heard over many years and were silenced or ignored,” Ockenden told the Sunday Times.

(With inputs from agencies)