蜜芽传媒

Warning: Some viewers may find the content of this video distressing.

Sarah Hawkins and her husband Jack lost their daughter Harriet in 2016 as a result of mismanaged labour. Sarah had been in labour for six days and Harriet was delivered almost nine hours after dying.

The couple became whistleblowers about the problems at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust after Harriet鈥檚 death. They are now among the 100 people who have written to the Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid, asking him to appoint Donna Ockenden to conduct an independent review of maternity services at the trust.

Donna Ockenden wrote last week鈥檚 landmark Ockenden Review into maternity services at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, which was described as the biggest maternity scandal in the NHS鈥檚 history.

Sarah told 蜜芽传媒 Radio 4 Woman鈥檚 Hour鈥檚 Emma Barnett about her harrowing experience of giving birth to Harriet, and how the couple were inaccurately told that she had 鈥渄ied of an infection鈥�.

Sarah and Jack launched their own investigation and an external inquiry identified 13 failings in care. They received a settlement for the stillbirth clinical negligence case.

A spokesperson for Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust said: 鈥淲e are truly sorry we failed Mr and Mrs Hawkins and baby Harriet in the care delivered in 2016, and are doing everything in our power to ensure patients using our maternity services are as safe as possible.

鈥淲e are cooperating fully with the ongoing independent review, and work closely with local families to learn where we can make improvements at an individual level as well as develop better services for the future.鈥�

You can listen to Sarah鈥檚 powerful interview in full by heading to 蜜芽传媒 Sounds and searching for the 蜜芽传媒 Radio 4 Woman鈥檚 Hour episode from 7 April.

If you are affected by this subject, there are links to support on the 蜜芽传媒 Radio 4 Woman鈥檚 Hour website.

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