Related Articles
Emily Hart, 26, from Reading, saw her worst fears come true days after being rushed to Royal Berkshire Hospital at 39 weeks pregnant with stomach pains and being unable to feel her baby move.
Initially, her partner Liam Ingram, 27, begged medics to induce her but the couple were sent home with a leaflet giving advice on early labour.
Four days later on, Emily again suffered stomach pains and the couple called the hospital who advised her to stay at home.
She was finally admitted to a ward 12 hours later when the medics reported that they couldn’t hear the baby’s heart rate.
On July 26 the couple were told that their baby had died.
READ MORE: Mum wins NHS pay-out after having stillborn baby days after doctors sent her home
Royal Berkshire Hospital has since apologised to the couple.
A spokesperson for the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We offer our very sincere apologies to Ms Hart and Mr Ingram for the very sad loss of their baby Luna.
“We have conducted a wide ranging investigation into the events leading up to this tragic event and reviewed our staff training and practices accordingly.
“We have also worked closely with Ms Hart and Mr Ingram’s legal representatives to assure them of our commitment to providing people with the best possible care.”
Since the tragedy, Emily and Liam have instructed medical negligence lawyers to look into the tragedy.
An investigation revealed Emily should have been referred to an obstetrician to discuss being induced when she first came into the hospital.
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust admitted breaching its duty by failing to offer Emily an obstetric review.
Through NHS Resolution it admitted that had a review been offered, Luna would have been delivered earlier and would have survived.
Emily said: “I was in quite a lot of pain, so we asked if it was possible for me to be induced.
“We were told no as it would be detrimental to Luna’s health, we were not told why. We were told everything would be fine and I was sent home.
“It felt like we were just dismissed as we were young parents.”
“We were absolutely devastated.”
Irwin Mitchell has secured an undisclosed settlement for Emily and Liam from the Trust.
