Bereaved mum calls for further maternity inquiry

Emily Barley's daughter Beatrice died at Barnsley Hospital in May 2022

A woman whose baby was stillborn has called for the government to carry out a public inquiry into maternity services rather than the review it announced in June.

Emily Barley gave birth to Beatrice at Barnsley Hospital in May 2022 and a subsequent report found eight failings by staff during the process.

Ms Barley, 36, moved to Lostwithiel in Cornwall after the loss and co-founded the Maternity Safety Alliance, which is calling for a judge-led statutory inquiry into England's maternity units and the organisations and regulators tasked with overseeing them.

On Monday, the government announced a rapid review of maternity care in 14 NHS trusts over what was described as "failures in the system".

Ms Barley said she campaigns to help prevent other parents having the same experience that she did

Ms Barley said when she had gone into labour with Beatrice she had told the staff she felt something was wrong but they ignored her concerns.

When the baby's heartbeat began struggling, Ms Barley said she had begged the staff for an emergency Caesarean section delivery but was denied one.

"Midwives were shrugging their shoulders, rolling their eyes, not writing things down that they should have, and one of the obstetricians was laughing about four minutes before it was finally discovered that Beatrice had died," she said.

She added the staff continued to refuse her request for a Caesarean and she said she continued to have nightmares about the birth.

Nearly 18 months ago, Ms Barley gave birth to Rosalie at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro, via an elective Caesarean.

"I am a mum of two. I have two daughters: one is alive and one is dead," she said.

"The way I am Beatrice's mummy is by campaigning, talking about her and trying to stop it happening to other families."

Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust issued a statement on 20 August, saying "first and foremost our greatest sympathies remain with Emily following this sad loss".

The statement said: "There was an extensive action plan that has been fully implemented and undergone an assurance review, including improvements in risk assessments, monitoring foetal wellbeing and training."

It said the maternity unit was "constantly striving to make our services better and safer".

"All NHS trusts are required to report certain cases to Maternity and Newborn Safety Investigations (formerly HISB) who provide an independent review and recommendations which we implement," it added.

The Department of Health said its rapid investigation would "urgently look at a range of services across the entire maternity system, following independent reviews across multiple trusts that have revealed a pattern of similar failings: women's voices ignored, safety concerns overlooked and poor leadership creating toxic cultures".

It is due to deliver interim recommendations in December.