At least 56 babies and two mothers have tragically died at Leeds Teaching Hospitals (LTH) NHS Trust over the last five years, with many families questioning whether these deaths could have been avoided.
The trust operates two maternity units: Leeds General Infirmary and St James’s University Hospital, both of which are rated ‘good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
However, disturbing whistleblower accounts suggest that these units may be unsafe, with concerns about care standards being overlooked.
Additionally, Leeds has the highest neonatal mortality rate in the UK, with data revealing that the neonatal mortality rate for the trust was 4.46 per 1,000 live births in 2022 – 70% higher than the average for similar NHS trusts.
This increase from 3.30 per 1,000 live births in 2017 has raised serious alarms among bereaved families and healthcare experts.
Families who have lost babies at these hospitals have expressed frustrations about how the trust has responded to these deaths. They claim that negligence, a lack of empathy, and an overall poor response to safety concerns have compounded their grief.
These families are calling for a thorough, independent review of the trust’s maternity services to ensure lessons are learned. Many are also pushing for a public inquiry into maternity safety across England to address systemic issues in the healthcare system.
Former maternity support worker Lisa Elliott, who worked at LTH in 2023, spoke out about the inadequate care she witnessed during her shifts, describing the environment as “appalling” and stressing that many of the deaths could have been avoided had concerns been properly addressed.
Speaking to the Daily Mail she highlighted how a failure to listen to the concerns of patients and staff led to catastrophic outcomes.
“When you don’t listen, that’s when disasters happen. A lot of these deaths could have been avoided,” she said.
One tragic case involves Dan and Fiona Ramm, whose baby, Aliona Grace, died just 27 minutes after birth in January 2020 at Leeds General Infirmary.
Delays in admitting Fiona after her waters broke, along with a failure to address concerns about Aliona’s heart rate during labour, were highlighted as key factors in the inquest into her death.
The Ramms are deeply critical of the hospital’s failure to learn from past mistakes, noting that babies continue to die for similar reasons.
Dan Ramm has spoken out about what he sees as a pattern of systemic failures at the hospital, saying:
“Leeds say they’ve learned lessons, but babies keep dying for similar reasons. The same mistakes are happening again.”
Their frustrations are heightened by the fact that Sir Julian Hartley, who was the CEO of the trust during the period when Aliona died, now leads the CQC, raising concerns about the impartiality of future investigations.
Further details have emerged from other families, including Amarjit Kaur and Mandip Singh Matharoo, whose daughter Asees was stillborn after being sent home twice from Leeds General Infirmary despite severe abdominal pain. Amarjit and Mandip believe their baby could have been saved had the hospital taken their concerns seriously.
Amarjit has also raised concerns about potential racial discrimination in her care, citing differences in how she was treated compared to a white patient she overheard receiving more attention.
“The only difference between me and her was the colour of my skin,” she said.
Carol Cook, Head of Clinical Negligence at Oakwood Solicitors Ltd, said:
“Maternity services at Leeds Teaching Hospitals need to improve. Families should not be experiencing the devastating loss of a baby due to failures and negligence by healthcare providers.
“Maternity services are trusted to ensure the safety and well-being of both mothers and their children at some of the most vulnerable times of their lives, and it is crucial that NHS staff members listen, and look after families suitably.
“The emotional and physical toll on families who suffer such avoidable tragedies is immeasurable, and it is crucial that these cases are thoroughly investigated, with lessons learned and accountability held.
“Healthcare providers must listen to patients, address concerns promptly, and take steps to prevent harm. No family should face this heartache due to failures in maternity care.”
Whistleblowers
Whistleblowers have consistently described unsafe conditions at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, citing chronic understaffing as a key issue impacting the quality of care provided.
Despite the trust’s claims of ongoing improvements and its role as a specialist centre for babies with complex conditions, the voices of families and healthcare professionals continue to demand greater scrutiny of the trust’s maternity services.
Chris Dzikiti, the CQC’s interim chief inspector of healthcare, stated that the trust’s maternity services were under ‘close oversight’ and that recent inspections had been carried out.
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.”
The findings of these inspections are expected to be published soon.
Maternity negligence – Making a claim
At Oakwood Solicitors, we understand the emotional and physical toll that birthing injuries and medical negligence can have on both parents and children.
If you or a loved one has experienced harm due to substandard care during pregnancy, labour, or delivery, our experienced team is here to help.
We offer support and expert legal representation to families affected by medical negligence in birthing cases, including cases of negligent care that result in birth injuries, stillbirths, or neonatal deaths.
We are committed to ensuring that families receive the justice and compensation they deserve, while working to hold negligent healthcare providers accountable.
Further reading
Mother birthing injuries – Oakwood Solicitors
Child birthing injuries – Oakwood Solicitors
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Carol Cook joined Oakwood Solicitors in May 2017 to lead the Medical Negligence Department.
Carol handles a wide range of clinical, cosmetic and dental negligence claims and has years of experi…
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