UK’s NHS scandal: 300 babies died or left brain-damaged
Failings by the NHS have been found to be the main cause of the tragic death of 300 babies in the UK, leaving their bereaved parents in a heartbreaking situation.
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Mother posts a picture of her cradling stillborn baby who died because of NHS maternity failings. (Stephanie Broadley)
New reports revealed that three hundred British babies died or were left brain-damaged as a result of inadequate care at an NHS trust.
Shockingly, a five-year investigation will conclude next week that mothers were denied cesarean sections and forced to have traumatic births because of an alleged obsession with meeting "normal" birth targets, The Sunday Times reported.
The investigation, which examined the experiences of 1,500 families at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust between 2000 and 2019, discovered that at least 12 mothers tragically died while giving birth, and some families lost more than one child in separate incidents, the newspaper added.
The scale of the tragedy "shocked and saddened" Donna Ockenden, an expert midwife who led the inquiry with the input of more than 90 midwives and doctors.
No trust in NHS trust
The Ockenden report is expected to reveal that hundreds of babies were stillborn, died shortly after birth, or were permanently brain-damaged, with many having fractured skulls or broken bones or being left with life-changing disabilities.
The Sunday Times quoted Ockenden, who has more than 30 years of experience in maternity services, as saying that “there were numerous opportunities for the system to wake up and realize that there was a problem at this trust.”
“There have been a number of occasions where families tried to be heard over many years and were silenced or ignored.
“We have seen families that have been split apart, families where relationships have been broken, cases of trauma and PTSD that have persisted for years after the event as well as terrible, terrible sadness.
“At times, after meeting families, I went back to my hotel room and I cried.”
It is worth mentioning that many health experts have recently criticized the NHS for its negligence and poor practice, raising mounting concerns that the NHS is unable to deliver vital care to all patients.
The NHS waiting list has lately hit a new record, as the number of people waiting to begin routine hospital treatment in the UK has reached an all-time high, and waits at A&E, for cancer care, and for ambulances to arrive are also increasing.
