Mum traumatised by Nottingham maternity failings gives birth to girl

Kim Errington gave birth to her daughter Elfi almost two years after she lost her son Teddy

A woman whose son died after failings in a crisis-hit maternity unit has given birth to a girl.

Kim Errington, 39, gave birth to her daughter Elfi almost two years after she lost her son Teddy, when he was a day old.

An inquest heard there were "undoubted failings" by the healthcare professionals involved in Teddy's care.

Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust said it had "learned lessons and implemented changes" as a result.

Teddy's death was recorded as "unascertained" in a narrative verdict by the coroner

Ms Errington and her partner Jason were among the parents who called for an independent review of the trust, led by midwife Donna Ockenden, which is currently ongoing.

It will examine how dozens of babies died or were injured at the trust's two hospitals, the Queen's Medical Centre and Nottingham City Hospital, where Teddy was born.

In December 2020, the trust's maternity services were rated inadequate with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) finding "several serious concerns".

Ms Errington said Elfi, who was born in November, was "gorgeous".

"She's a beautiful, chilled, happy little baby," she said.

Elfi is described as "beautiful, chilled" and "happy" by her mum

She said she had been "very anxious" about the pregnancy but praised the care she had received at King's Mill, the hospital where she chose to have her second child, and is run by Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust.

"Our care was amazing," she said.

"[It was] truly outstanding. There was not a single issue, not a stone left unturned.

"And I don't think it was because we were getting special treatment. People were obviously aware of our situation and took extra care."

She said Ms Ockenden's review meant she finally felt as if her experience of losing Teddy was being taken seriously.

Kim said she, her partner Jason and Elfi received amazing care at the King's Mill hospital, in Sutton-in-Ashfield

"We all felt such relief," she said, recalling her reaction at Ms Ockenden's appointment.

"Now the big bulk of work is still to do.

"The hospital [needs to put] those changes in place and that's when we will really know whether we are being listened to.

"We've been given the opportunity to meet the new chief executive, and I have taken him up on that offer and look forward to that meeting.

"But it's not a one-off; it's got to be a continued practise of listening and reacting, not lip service.

"Let's see if some real change happens and we'll see."

Anthony May, chief executive at the trust, has told the BBC: "We are committed to making the necessary and sustainable improvements to our maternity services and continue to engage fully and openly with Donna Ockenden and her team on their independent review.

"We are not waiting for the review to conclude before making changes and our staff have been working hard to make the necessary improvements now."