Two mums and 56 babies died ‘needlessly’ at NHS trust where ‘tick boxing staff fob patients off with paracetamol’

AT least two mums and 56 babies have tragically died at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in the past five years, an investigation has revealed.

Leeds General Infirmary and St James’s University Hospital, the trust’s two maternity units, are rated ‘good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

However, whistleblowers have raised serious concerns, describing the units as unsafe and alleging care standards are being overlooked.

Separate data has revealed that Leeds has the highest neonatal mortality rate in the UK. 

It has 4.46 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022, 70 per cent higher than the national average, according to recent reports, 

This marks a concerning rise from 3.30 per 1,000 in 2017.

Families who lost children at Leeds have criticised the trust’s response to these deaths, with some claiming negligence and a lack of care from staff.

Data obtained during the BBC’s investigation into the trust found that from January 2019 to July 2024, at least 56 babies died in circumstances that a trust-led review group concluded may have been avoidable. 

The deaths were made up of 27 stillbirths and 29 neonatal deaths, those happening within 28 days of birth. 

Each case reviewed by the trust identified potential issues with the care provided.

However, it emphasised that the vast majority of births at the trust were safe, and maternal and baby deaths remained rare.

The news giant has spoken to nearly 20 families who have raised serious safety concerns after describing their maternity care as “inadequate and traumatic” between 2019 and 2024.

Bereaved parents have described a culture of “tick box” care, where serious concerns are dismissed rather than addressed.

“Our lives have been destroyed in every way possible,” says mother Fiona Winser-Ramm.

Fiona and her husband Dan Ramm lost their baby Aliona Grace, who died at Leeds General Infirmary in January 2020, just 27 minutes after being born. 

There had been delays admitting Fiona after her waters broke and a delay by midwives to escalate concerns with Aliona’s heart rate during labour.  

There had been a “number of gross failures of the most basic nature that directly contributed to Aliona’s death”, an inquest in 2023 found. 

“Leeds say they’ve learned lessons, it won’t happen again. But it does, and babies keep dying, or being seriously injured, for similar reasons,” says Dan.  

“If people had just done their jobs, we wouldn’t be living this nightmare,” Fiona added.

The couple, who connected with other bereaved parents after setting up a Facebook group, believe there are many more affected.

The Ramms also believe that the CQC failed to hold the trust accountable, despite raising safety concerns as early as November 2020. 

Their frustration is worsened by Sir Julian Hartley, who was CEO of Leeds when Aliona died, now overseeing the CQC.

“There’s a huge conflict of interest,'” Dan said, questioning how any CQC investigations could now be impartial given Sir Julian’s new role.

A spokesperson for the CQC defended its independence, stating that robust policies are in place to manage any potential conflicts of interest. 

CHAOTIC CARE

Whistleblower Lisa Elliott, who worked at the two hospital sites in 2023, echoed concerns about hospital care.

She called it “appalling” and stressed the failure to listen to patients.

“That’s when disasters happen, and a lot of them can be avoided,” she told the BBC.

Lisa, who worked approximately 40 shifts as a maternity support worker during 2023, said she witnessed “chaotic” care and “rude” treatment from staff who lacked empathy.

Having started her shifts in 2020, Lisa was also present for a CQC inspection in 2024, but she believes the maternity services should not have been rated “good.”

She raised concerns about staff attitudes at the time, but feels they were not properly addressed.

The families are now calling for an independent review of LTH Trust to identify the issues and ensure lessons are learned.

They are also pushing for an independent, judge-led public inquiry to improve maternity safety across England amid growing concerns about the standard of care.

Whistleblowers have further revealed chronic understaffing at Leeds, which they believe is contributing to unsafe care.

One clinical staff member, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “Women and babies are not getting the care they need.”

‘I DON’T WANT TO BE HERE’

Amarjit Kaur and Mandip Singh Matharoo, who lost their stillborn daughter Asees in January 2024, also shared their story.

Despite seeking help twice in 24 hours at Leeds General Infirmary for severe abdominal pain, Amarjit was sent home with painkillers, including paracetamol.

A few days later, Amarjit underwent emergency surgery, only for doctors to discover a massive blood clot in the very area she had pointed out earlier.

Her daughter, Asees, was stillborn on January 6, 2024.

Amarjit and Mandip believe that their baby could have been saved had the hospital taken their concerns more seriously. 

“It’s been the hardest year of my life,” Amarjit said, speaking about her loss, “I don’t want to be here.”

Amarjit also feels that her treatment may have been influenced by her ethnicity.

She believes she was treated differently from a white patient she overheard being given more attention during a similar consultation.

“The only difference between me and her was the colour of my skin,” she said.

Black mothers are nearly three times more likely to die than their white counterparts, with Asian women nearly twice as likely, latest UK figures from MBRRACE-UK show.

Last year, 15.7 per cent of registrable births at LTH were recorded as Asian and 11.8 per cent were black.

‘CLOSE OVERSIGHT’

The trust has acknowledged concerns about potential racial discrimination and said they have escalated them for investigation.

However, this has not eased the pain for the families who feel their concerns are not being urgently addressed.

Prof Phil Wood, chief executive of Leeds Teaching Hospitals told the BBC the trust wished to apologise to the women and families who had shared their negative experiences.

He highlighted its status as a specialist centre caring for “the most poorly babies”, adding that comparing the MBBRACE-UK neonatal mortality data from LTH with other hospitals.

“Women in the same specialist category, is fraught with difficulty and is misleading,” he added.

Chris Dzikiti, the CQC’s interim chief inspector, stated that the trust’s maternity services were under “close oversight,” with recent inspections carried out.

‘Maternity and neo-natal care needs to be a priority’

Clea Harmer, chief executive of the neo-natal charity Sands, told BBC Breakfast this morning: “The themes that come out [on these stories] are the same.

“Parents not being listened to, and that’s during birth and pregnancy but also afterwards. 

“Individual healthcare professional want to give the best care possible, I think this is a system problem it is very difficult to provide the care that they want to in the current system.

“I think what needs to happen is that maternity and neo-natal care needs to be a priority, for the government and for the NHS.

“One way of doing that would be to have a national ambition, and targets to reduce the number of babies dying.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said the government was determined to learn lessons from recent investigations to ensure women and babies “receive safe, personalised and compassionate care”.

They added: “We will support trusts failing on maternity care to make rapid improvements and work closely with NHS England to train thousands more midwives to support women throughout their pregnancy and beyond.”

The findings of the most recent inspections are expected soon.