Banbridge mum to sue NHS after baby’s death

A BANBRIDGE woman who lost her baby after a six-day labour will sue the NHS after a report found the death was “almost certainly preventable”.

Sarah Hawkins’ daughter Harriet was stillborn in Nottingham hospital in April 2016. An initial review found there had been no fault in care, but Mrs Hawkins (below) and her husband Jack demanded an independent report.

The grieving parents were vindicated when 13 failings in her treatment were found.

Although the hospital trust issued an apology, Mr and Mrs Hawkins now intend to launch a civil claim against the NHS.

They’re also calling for laws in England to change to allow inquests in the case of stillborn babies, which is already the practice in Northern Ireland. The parents hope allowing such inquests will help to prevent more deaths in the future.

Speaking to Sky News, Mrs Hawkins said the report had been “a massive relief ” but not enough for closure.

“To have it officially acknowledged that I was in prolonged, undiagnosed labour, and that (Harriet’s) death was certainly preventable is a relief.”

She added: “We don’t feel the trust has recognised and taken responsibility for what happened. It is lovely to have an apology from the new chief executive, but she wasn’t there at the time and it feels like something is missing.”