Mum demands answers after son left brain damaged

Doctors are still unable to explain why Jasper required urgent medical treatment when he was born

A mum whose son has been left permanently brain damaged after suffering a bleed on the brain says she needs more answers over why it happened.

Julia's son, Jasper, was rushed for emergency life-saving care after he was born, despite Julia having a "perfectly healthy pregnancy".

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated Gloucestershire Hospitals Trust's maternity services as inadequate and called for urgent action.

Medical director, Prof Mark Pietroni, said: “We are working more closely than ever with parents on improving maternity services."

He continued: “The trust wrote to the family in July last year to offer them both the opportunity to discuss with our Consultant Obstetrician any immediate issues or concerns that they may have had regarding the birth of their baby boy as well as to outline the MNSI process."

Areas highlighted by the CQC as requiring swift action include the assessments of women, monitoring of babies, and the management of severe incidents.

Hospital inspectors visited the trust in March, and said improvements they had previously demanded had not been made.

They have therefore issued the trust with a Section 31 notice, putting conditions on its registration, and demanding urgent improvement.

Doctors are still at a loss to explain why Jasper was born severely unwell, Julia said.

She said things started "going really wrong" during the night after she went into labour 10 months ago.

Tests showed Jasper was "not responsive" so doctors rushed her in for an emergency caesarean after detecting the presence of meconium, the baby's first bowel movement, during a speculum examination.

After birth, Julia was allowed to hold him for a couple of minutes before he was transferred to the Bristol Children's Hospital for a cooling treatment to "improve his life chances".

Julia's son, Jasper, spent three months in as many hospitals following his birth last year

Four weeks later, after his health improved, Jasper developed a bleed on the brain, which caused him to be permanently brain damaged and partially sighted, Julia said.

The full extent of his condition will not be known until he's two or at least old enough to complete an eye test, she added.

Julia said she doesn't know why it happened, or if an infection was involved, but said she would have questioned staff a bit more if she'd had "more knowledge on adverse birth outcomes".

Prof Pietroni said the trust was "happy to learn that baby Jasper continues his recovery at home".

“While the vast majority of births in our care are straightforward, where complications occur it can be a traumatic experience," he said.

Due to the "particular complications" of Jasper's birth, the trust did report the case to Maternity and Newborn Safety Investigations, he added.

Prof Pietroni also urged parents who would like a "debrief" after their birth to make contact.

Independent advocates

Joanna Garrett has been hired to "ask questions in the right place" for families affected by some of the worst birth situations

A BBC Panorama investigation found in the first six months of 2023, Gloucestershire Hospitals Trust was, on average, short of more than 50 midwifery staff.

Seven women under the care of the trust died while pregnant or shortly after giving birth between 2018 and 2022 - about twice the UK average for maternal deaths.

The trust says not all the deaths in that period were attributable to its care.

Joanna Garrett has been appointed as maternity and neonatal independent senior advocate for Gloucestershire.

The county is one of the first to begin the role, part of NHS England's response to national maternity issues, and aims to support families affected by some of the worst birth outcomes.

Ms Garrett said: "It could be investigations, or complaints, or clinical debriefs, or reviews and its to support them to be able to have their voices heard and have their questions asked in the right place to get the information that they need."

'Pretty shaken'

Catherine Forrester said mums in general need "more support"

Catherine Forrester, co-founder of Stroud Motherhood Collective, does not think the senior advocate role goes far enough.

"A lot of women are left pretty shaken by what is just considered to be fairly normal in this country at the moment," she said.

"They're not the people who have had extremely adverse experiences but they definitely need more support. "

Aveta Birth Unit in Cheltenham is currently closed for labour and birth, and postnatal beds are closed at Stroud Maternity Hospital.

Ten per cent of maternity units in England are now rated inadequate for safety by the Care Quality Commission, including at the Gloucestershire trust.