A Kent hospital trust has apologised to a mother who was wrongly told her baby had died, then that she was alive, before her daughter died hours later. Alisha Pegg attended William Harvey Hospital in Ashford last February after experiencing labour pains but was sent home by doctors. She gave birth to her daughter Grace, who was born at 22 weeks premature.
Pegg said the hospital staff had “neglected” her. The day before the birth, she went to hospital with pains and cramps. Medical staff told her there was no movement of the baby, but there was a heartbeat. “In my head I was thinking my daughter is OK, she has a heartbeat. I told them I’m in labour and I felt I needed to push, but the doctor said go home,” Pegg told the BBC.
She returned to hospital less than 24 hours later by ambulance and was told Grace had died. However, just minutes later, she was told the baby was actually alive. Four hours after that, Grace died in her mother’s arms. “In all their reviews they say they did try to tube her, but she was showing no signs of life. Yet she survived four hours by herself. I want answers as to why I was not listened to when I persistently told them what my body was doing. I want an apology,” Pegg said.
Rebecca Martin, chief medical officer at the trust, said: “We are truly sorry that we didn’t provide the standard of care and support needed. We have changed our practices and policies following Grace’s sad death, including introducing further monitoring for those at risk of preterm labour. We will continue to ensure we provide ongoing support to answer all the family’s questions.”
The death of Grace comes during an inquiry into maternity services at East Kent Hospitals, which is expected to be published later this year. It is looking at up to 200 incidents involving mothers and babies and is expected to be damning. The incident follows the Shropshire maternity scandal, in which a five-year investigation concluded that more than 200 babies could have survived if they had been provided with better care.
