Derby and Burton maternity services: Bereaved parents call for inquiry

Tim and Hannah Taylor-Smith's son only lived for 14 hours

The parents of a baby who died at the Royal Derby Hospital have called for an independent investigation into Derby and Burton's maternity services.

Hannah and Tim Taylor-Smith, whose son Zachary lived for only 14 hours, said they were "devastated" by a recent Care Quality Commission (CQC) report.

The hospital trust's maternity services were downgraded from good to inadequate following an inspection.

The NHS trust that runs the sites has apologised to mothers and families.

The CQC inspection took place in August, nine months after Zachary died in November 2022.

Mrs Taylor-Smith, from Lichfield in Staffordshire, said she was told changes would be made following his death.

Now she and her husband would like to see Donna Ockenden, who is leading the biggest ever investigation into NHS maternity failings, expand her review to Derby and Burton.

'Weren't listened to'

"Reading the CQC report was completely devastating," said Mrs Taylor-Smith.

"It beggars belief that this has continued when a baby died and a whole family have been left shattered.

"Some of the themes that correspond with the CQC report were that of the staffing levels.

"We weren't listened to when we raised concerns, and just the overall kind of adhering to policies were themes that were very much prevalent in Zachary's care."

The couple want Donna Ockenden to expand her Nottingham review to Derby and Burton

An inquest into Zachary's death has been opened and adjourned.

A Patient Safety Incident Investigation (PSII) has already been carried out by the trust itself, and the findings of the report highlight several failings.

Nicola Wainwright, a solicitor who will be supporting the couple at the inquest, said: "The family have serious concerns about aspects of Zachary's care, which we are hoping will be fully investigated by the coroner."

There have also been calls for a national public inquiry into maternity services.

Mr Taylor-Smith said: "We didn't, obviously, want this to happen to us, but without any change it's going to most likely happen again to somebody and we can't fathom somebody else going through what we are going through continually now."

Dr Gisela Robinson, interim executive medical director at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton, said she was "deeply sorry for their loss".

"The loss of a baby is tragic and we have taken Zachary's case incredibly seriously," she said.

"We are fully supporting the coroner's enquiries alongside our own investigation into what happened to ensure Zachary's family get full answers to their concerns, and to put learning in place."

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