Dad motorbikes 1,250 miles in memory of baby son

James Titcombe is raising money for charity in memory of his baby son Joshua who died due to hospital errors

A father whose baby son died due to hospital errors is biking 1,250-mile (2,000km) across Vietnam in his honour on what would have been his 17th birthday.

Nine-day-old Joshua Titcombe was one of 11 babies and a mother who died at Furness General Hospital in Barrow, Cumbria, in 2008, due to major patient safety failings.

Ever since, his father James Titcombe has campaigned for improvements in care and his trip is to raise money for Baby Lifeline, a maternity safety charity.

"I think it's a bit of a distraction because I always get quite sad at this time of year, I'm doing this trip to remember him," Mr Titcombe said.

An inquiry into the deaths of the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust, which ran the hospital at the time, found 20 major failures from 2004 to 2013.

It included wider criticism of the NHS for the way it had monitored and regulated events at the hospital.

Joshua died aged just nine days due to failings in his care

Mr Titcombe said: "It's been a bit of a journey, initially [I was] very consumed by campaigning and wanting to see change."

He told Radio Cumbria that together with other campaigners, his drive had led to meetings with health ministers, commissioning of inquiries and changes in patient safety.

He said he was proud to see perinatal mortality rates - the number of still births, births and neonatal deaths - in the NHS in England fall by about 20% since Joshua's death.

"I think about 700 babies a year now live, who wouldn't have done unless that rate reduction had happened," he said.

"It's been an emotional time, I've come to terms with the fact I've lost Joshua.

"I've got two lovely children, grown-up girls who I'm so proud of and I'm remembering Joshua in the best way I can, which is to focus on making things better and trying to make a difference."

He is part-way through his trip from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi and is trying to ride about 78 miles (125km) a day on a 110cc semi-automatic motorbike.

Mr Titcombe said: "It's been a little bit harder going than I thought, setting off on the first day I underestimated how dark it got quickly.

"I didn't quite get to where I wanted to, I'm learning as I go."

He also said the experience had been "absolutely fantastic" and he was riding with a "big smile" on his face.