Nationwide maternity failures have been widely reported. Harrowing and tragic experiences highlight harm and suffering of those that are denied adequate care.
On 12th August 2024 the BBC reported that the inquest into the death of Laura-Jane Seaman in December 2022 had found her death was “avoidable and contributed to by neglect”.
Laura -Jane Seaman, 36, was found to have suffered many “gross failures” at the hands of medical professionals responsible for her care. Ms Seaman suffered a substantial peritoneal haemorrhage and died after giving birth at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford, Essex.
Ms Seaman was known to have a risk of heavy post- birth bleeding. The risk was inadequately recorded by staff preventing prompt escalation that could have saved her life.
Ms Seaman bled severely, suffering two cardiac arrests. The inquest heard that Ms Seaman had repeatedly made staff aware of her life-threatening symptoms. Opportunities to follow urgent and compulsory protocol were missed by a range of medical professionals. Ms Seaman died from complications two days after giving birth.
Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust join a list of NHS Trusts in ‘requiring improvement’ or being deemed ‘inadequate’. The quality of maternity care has been under scrutiny by the CQC in recent years. In November 2023, CQC investigations concluded that almost two thirds of maternity services were lacking in key areas and were deemed unsafe.
The media has reported on the country-wide deterioration of maternity care for several years. Many reports have been published documenting the widespread inadequacies. The concerns have been the subject of Parliamentary debates and investigative reports.
Mother died after neglect by Broomfield Hospital staff – coroner – BBC News
If you are concerned about the maternity or neonatal paediatric care that you or a member of your family has received, please contact our experienced team on 0116 254 7456 or 0800 952 0010 or email: enquiries@moosaduke.com.