They Met While Pregnant but Their Babies Never Came Home: Maternity Failings at NHS Trust

In a heartbreaking twist of fate, a group of expectant mothers bonded over their pregnancies at University Hospitals Sussex (UHS) NHS Foundation Trust, only to endure unimaginable loss when their babies never came home alive. A joint New Statesman and BBC investigation reveals that dozens of baby deaths at UHS between 2019 and 2023 might have been preventable, exposing repeated maternity care failings like inadequate monitoring and protocol breaches.[1][2]

These women, united under the banner of the TFOB (Their Families Our Babies) group, shared stories of reduced foetal movements ignored, growth measurements overlooked, and CTG (cardiotocography) interpretations mishandled—basic errors that could have saved lives. “Our babies died not because the pregnancies were complex or had ‘rare’ issues, but because staff didn’t follow basic protocols,” insists Amanda, a founding member.[1] Freedom of information requests uncovered data suggesting at least 55 baby deaths at Sussex hospitals during this period were potentially avoidable, a figure families believe is conservative since internal reviews often dismissed failings later confirmed by external probes.[1]

A Pattern of Preventable Tragedies

The investigation paints a damning picture of systemic issues at UHS, which operates maternity units previously rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in 2021—now upgraded to “requires improvement.”[1][2] Eight mothers reported reduced foetal movements but received subpar monitoring; four had growth scans warranting escalation that were ignored; and another four suffered from flawed CTG readings.[1] External reviews, including one by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) in 2023, flagged failures in foetal monitoring, escalating concerns, growth tracking, and learning from past errors. The trust had been warned three times that maternal risk profiles can evolve, yet lessons weren’t applied.[1]

Official statistics tell a different story: UHS boasts lower-than-average neonatal death rates and stillbirth rates in line with peers from 2020-2023.[1][2] But as experts note, poor care isn’t just about raw numbers—it’s about preventable deaths. In 2021-22, nine stillbirths showed missed opportunities, tied to a “normal birth” culture prioritizing vaginal deliveries over interventions like Caesareans.[2] Tragic cases abound: a 2018 baby boy who might have survived with a prompt C-section after foetal distress; a 38-week stillborn girl post-2022 review with eerily similar lapses.[1]

Financial fallout underscores the scale. In 2024-25, UHS paid out £34.4 million in maternity negligence claims via NHS Resolution—the highest in England—despite not being the largest trust by births.[1] Families like Robert Miller’s accuse the CQC of dropping the ball, responding individually to complaints without spotting patterns: “They’re not collating them.”[1] In one instance, prosecution deadlines lapsed.[1]

Families United in Grief and Demands for Justice

The TFOB mothers met in online forums, their pregnancies overlapping amid the chaos of Sussex’s units. What began as shared joy turned to collective mourning. Post-2022 review babies still died, fueling fury over delays in the Baroness Amos inquiry, whose interim findings slipped to late February 2026 from a Christmas 2025 target.[1] In June 2025, the government expanded scrutiny to six more Sussex families; now, evidence points to far wider harm.[1]

UHS counters that the 55 cases represent just 0.1% of births from 2019-23, with different outcomes “not likely” in most. Payout spikes reflect long-litigation timelines, they argue.[2] Chief Executive Dr. Andy Heeps owns the shortfalls: “As chief executive, I take responsibility… I am deeply sorry.”[2] Improvements include 40 extra midwives, boosted theatre capacity for C-sections, and a specialist triage line—yielding three 2024 cases with “missed opportunities” but better protocols.[1][2] National data shows progress, and Heeps welcomes Amos’s probe for answers.[2]

Yet families remain skeptical. External probes often contradicted trust internals, especially when legal action proved failings.[1] The CQC rates nearly half of England’s maternity units as needing improvement or worse, amid ongoing scandals.[1] UHS joined 14 trusts in Health Secretary Wes Streeting’s September 2025 national investigation.[2]

Broader Crisis in English Maternity Care

This Sussex saga mirrors England’s maternity meltdown. Babies continue dying while inquiries lag, and regulators falter. TFOB’s fight highlights a trust not learning fast enough—foetal movement advice skipped, risk assessments botched.[1] Orlando Davis’s family exemplifies regulatory voids.[1]

As Amos’s report looms, these mothers demand more than apologies: transparency, accountability, systemic overhaul. Their story isn’t isolated; it’s a siren for NHS maternity reform. No family should bond in pregnancy only to bury their child due to avoidable errors.

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Original source: BBC News – They met while pregnant but their babies never came home – maternity failings at NHS trust