Mum told to book appointment to deliver stillborn baby following Newcastle hospital care failings

A first-time mum wrongly sent home from hospital was told her unborn baby had died – then handed a leaflet and told to “book a slot” to give birth.

Danielle Brown, 31, had been diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, a serious pregnancy complication. However, she was discharged from Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) despite a consultant obstetrician saying she should remain in hospital until her daughter, Maisie, was born. Monitoring had also raised concerns about Maisie’s heart rate.

Pre-eclampsia care failings at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary

The following day, Danielle rang the maternity unit after suffering severe stomach cramps and feeling her baby move. She said her concerns were “dismissed” by a midwife, who told her it was probably a stomach bug.

When Danielle, of North Shields, later attended hospital, she faced an “unreasonable” 90 minute wait to be assessed, health bosses admitted following legal submissions by specialist medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell.

Doctors were unable to find Maisie’s heartbeat and Danielle and her partner, Anthony Miller, 34, were told their daughter had died.

Despite Danielle’s pre-eclampsia, she was wrongly discharged again. A midwife handed her an advice leaflet with a phone number and told Danielle to “book a slot to give birth”.

She returned to hospital two days later to delivery Maisie following 10 hours in labour.

Medical negligence lawyers secure maternity settlement for Danielle Brown

Danielle, a barista, instructed expert medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate.

The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust admitted a breach of duty and that Maisie would have survived had Danielle not been sent home during her first admission. Danielle has received an undisclosed settlement.

Danielle has now spoken for the first time about her loss and the need for improved maternity care nationally.

It comes after research commissioned by Irwin Mitchell found a quarter of mums are not confident in the safety and quality of their local maternity services. The YouGov poll of 1,145 adults in England and Wales also found 27 per cent believe maternity services are declining, compared with 22 per cent who think they are improving.

Medical negligence expert calls for improved maternity safety

Faisal Ali, the legal expert at Irwin Mitchell supporting Danielle, said: 

“Pre-eclampsia is a serious pregnancy condition requiring close monitoring. Without appropriate care it can be potentially life threatening for mums and babies.

“What happened to Danielle and Maisie vividly highlights the human cost of care failings and how families left needing answers and access to specialist support are left trying to pick up the pieces.

“Sadly, this isn’t an isolated case and we represent hundreds of families nationally affected by maternity failings.

“Put simply, maternity services aren’t good enough, resulting in mums and babies being put at risk because of deep rooted problems nationally.

“Now is the time for meaningful action to be taken to improve care across the country so other families don’t have to endure what Danielle and Anthony have had to go through.”

North Shields woman's pre-eclampsia diagnosis and discharge from RVI

Danielle attended hospital on 12 February, 2023, after waking with swelling to her face, hands and feet – potential signs of pre eclampsia. Concerns were raised about Maisie’s heart rate and Danielle, who was nearly 29 weeks pregnant, was transferred to RVI later that day.

The following day, a consultant obstetrician said Danielle should remain in hospital until she gave birth.

However, she was discharged on 14 February after a review by a different consultant.

On 15 February, Danielle phoned RVI’s maternity assessment unit with concerns about her symptoms. When she got through, she was told she probably had a stomach bug.

After insisting on being seen, she returned to hospital and waited 90 minutes to be assessed. Medics could not find Maisie’s heart rate and Danielle was told her baby had died.

Danielle delivered Maisie on 17 February.

Danielle and Anthony's heartbreak over Maisie’s death

Danielle said: “When me and Anthony found out I was expecting we were overjoyed. We bought things for Maisie’s nursery, bought clothes and had a gender reveal party. It was such a happy time for the whole family.

“Although I knew I was at risk of pre-eclampsia, everything seemed to be going well until I woke up with swelling.

“When I was transferred to RVI, I thought we’d be well looked after. A consultant told me I wasn’t well and needed to stay in hospital until I had my baby, so when I was sent home, I was concerned – but I trusted what I was being told.

“When I started suffering from pain, I rang the maternity unit but couldn’t get through for an hour. When I explained my symptoms I was dismissed and told I had a stomach bug.

“When I finally had a scan, the screen was turned away and there was no sound. I said to Ant, ‘I think she’s gone.’

“When it was confirmed Maisie had died, we burst into tears. Nobody explained what had happened to Maisie. I was just given a booklet for bereaved parents and told to book a slot to give birth. Hearing that with no compassion angered me so much.

“I went through 10 hours of labour and pain. When Maisie was born the room was silent. Seeing Maisie was bittersweet. She was perfect. I told her she was beautiful and I loved her. It was devastating that my first experience of holding a baby was holding my stillborn daughter.

“When we left hospital, we gave Maisie one last cuddle and kiss and told her we loved her and were sorry things couldn’t have been different.”

Danielle reveals impact of maternity failings and calls for more compassionate care

Since Maisie’s death, Danielle has struggled psychologically and has been diagnosed with PTSD and depression.

Although the couple have since had a son, Harrison Miller, now two, Danielle said more needs to be done to improve both maternity safety and bereavement support.

She added: 

“Returning home without Maisie was just the start of it. I went from being active and outgoing to questioning whether I’d done anything wrong and not wanting to leave the house. Being told I wasn’t to blame and that care failings caused Maisie’s death was a huge relief.

“While we feel so blessed to have Harrison, it remains difficult knowing Maisie should be here with us too. She will always be part of our family.

“More needs to be done not only to improve maternity care but also, when something goes wrong, families need proper and compassionate support. After saying goodbye to Maisie, we had to walk through a labour ward seeing parents going home with their babies. That will stay with me forever.”

Newcastle Hospital Trust admits Maisie would have been born alive had Danielle not been sent home

The Trust admitted Danielle should not have been discharged on either 14 or 15 February 2023. Had she remained in hospital, monitoring would have shown the need to speed up delivery and Maisie would have been born alive.