Chesterfield mother who had stillbirth wants hospital apology

Willow Grace was stillborn in May 2016 but the case was not settled until this year

A mother-of-three has said she is still waiting for an apology from a hospital after her daughter was stillborn.

Bekki Hill said she told medics at Chesterfield Royal Hospital she thought her baby was in distress and requested an induction but this was refused.

Willow Grace was stillborn on 4 May 2016 and in a quest to get answers, Ms Hill began legal action.

The claim was settled without the trust accepting blame but Ms Hill said she wanted them to say sorry.

Bekki Hill said she felt as though her concerns were not taken seriously

Ms Hill, 43, said: "I don't want any other family going through what I've been through.

"If it's because of nature, it's because of nature, but if it happens because someone simply didn't listen to you - that's not right."

Ms Hill said her pregnancy was going normally until, at 39 weeks, in April 2016, a midwife expressed concerns as growth was noted to be slow and referred her to a doctor.

But Ms Hill said she felt these concerns were not taken seriously at this appointment.

No heartbeat

At 40 weeks Ms Hill said her baby's movement was erratic but "again my concerns were brushed aside" and no induction was offered.

On 3 May 2016, she said she asked to be induced but her request was declined and an induction was booked for a week later in line with policy.

The next day, Bekki said she called the hospital three times as she believed she was in labour and was admitted.

At 19:25 BST on 4 May 2016, Willow Grace's heartbeat was not heard. A sonographer was called, who, at 20:15, confirmed Willow Grace had died. She was stillborn at 23:27.

Avoidable death

Lime Solicitors served a letter of claim in March 2019 with the hospital denying all allegations and the case progressed to court.

A settlement was achieved in January 2022 - three weeks before the trial was due to take place.

Despite admitting Willow Grace would have survived if delivered earlier, the trust denied any of breach of duty and no apology was offered, Ms Hill said.

"While I can't blame the hospital for being understaffed, I can blame the doctors for ignoring someone who was in front of them concerned about their baby.

"It was like they abandoned me. Instead of listening, I was spoken to like an idiot. We were completely let down.

"Willow Grace's death was avoidable. Had I been induced when I asked, Willow Grace would still be with us.

"All I wanted was an explanation and a promise to listen to other women to make sure what happened to Willow Grace doesn't happen again.

"In order to get the truth, I had to sue, which should never, ever be the case," she said.

While the cause of Willow Grace's death has not been confirmed, an independent consultant instructed by Lime Solicitors believes it was caused by undiagnosed gestational diabetes.

Willow's Wish, a charity set up to raise money for local stillbirth charities, has so far raised more than £5,500.

A spokesperson for Chesterfield Royal Hospital said: "We extend our heartfelt condolences to Willow's family.

"We reviewed the tragic circumstances of her death in 2016 and recommendations made at that time are now embedded practice, together with further improvements and developments in line with current national best practice."