Bereaved parents say they want the 'truth' from upcoming Sussex maternity review
ITV Meridian's James Dunham speaks to Eileen McCarthy and Noel German
Families who have lost babies or were harmed at the hands of NHS maternity care in Sussex are desperately hoping an upcoming review will begin to bring them some closure.
Bereaved parents Eileen McCarthy and Noel German told us they hope to finally get to the truth, after their son Walter died nine days after he was born at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton in 2021.
The review into maternity and neonatal care at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (UHSussex) will host sessions with families on September 5 as it calls for those affected to help shape the investigation.
Chaired by former midwife Donna Ockenden, the inquiry will look at cases dating back to 2018, with an important meeting tomorrow deciding which questions need to be answered.
Eileen McCarthy and Noel German are among more than 60 bereaved families who have been campaigning for an independent review into University Hospitals Sussex.
Their son Walter suffered irreversible brain damage during labour and Eileen McCarthy said losing their baby has devastated their lives completely.
The pair did not see an obstetrician during the pregnancy despite Eileen suffering a third degree tear during the birth of her first child.
The Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) identified “several failures” in Ms McCarthy’s care, particularly a lack of foetal monitoring and failure to bring in the obstetric team during the birth.
Eileen McCarthy said: "When it happened five years ago, five and a half years ago, we had no idea that this would keep happening.
"We thought that we were an anomaly, we thought we were the only ones and it was just an unlucky situation for us. However, as it transpires, it now has happened time and time again, and something really needs to be done about it."
Eileen McCarthy and Noel German talk share their hopes for the upcoming review
Noel German added: "Having this level of review, Donna Ockenden and her team going in to find out what really is going on, so that these tragedies no longer happen - babies are still dying, mothers are still being harmed, midwives are carrying the burden on the floor, as it were.
"But something's clearly going wrong and hopefully the Ockenden review can unpick that and put the improvements in place."
"We really hope that this is going to be the turning point for safer maternity for all."
Eileen McCarthy said: "It's been a really long journey and we never expected five and a half years down the line that we would still be talking about the same issues that we were five years ago when our baby died.
"I'm really really hopeful that we have an amazing team in place now that are going to get to the truth of what's happened and, you know, put a plan in place so that, you know, we can have safer maternity care."
Gwyneth Munjoma, a former NHS midwife and maternity negligence solicitor at Tees Law believes the meeting is a perfect platform for people to have their voices heard
Dr Andy Heeps, Chief Executive at University Hospitals Sussex, said: “Our thoughts remain first and foremost with the families whose babies have died or who have suffered harm when receiving care in our hospitals.
"We welcome Donna Ockenden’s review and remain committed to fully supporting the process so families can get the answers they need, and we take any possible opportunity to learn and improve.
"Our overriding priority is always to provide the safest possible care for mothers and babies – that is why our maternity teams have implemented many positive changes in recent years, and why we will work with the review team to find new ways of making our services better, and safer, still.”
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