Wynter Andrews: Nottingham NHS Trust fined £800k for failings in care of mother and baby

Sarah Andrews lost her daughter Wynter in 2019. Credit: Family handout

An NHS trust has been fined £800,000 after pleading guilty to making mistakes in the care of a mother and her daughter, who died when she was minutes old.

Wynter Andrews died in the arms of her parents, Sarah and Gary Andrews, 23 minutes after being born by emergency Caesarean section on 15 September 2019 at Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham.

Nottingham University Hospitals Trust pleaded guilty to two counts relating to failures in both Wynter’s and Mrs Andrews’ care at a hearing at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on Wednesday (25 January) - the first time the trust has ever been criminally prosecuted.

Sentencing the trust on Friday at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court, District Judge Grace Leong said: “The catalogue of failings and errors exposed Mrs Andrews and her baby to a significant risk of harm which was avoidable, and such errors ultimately resulted in the death of Wynter and post-traumatic stress for Mrs Andrews and Mr Andrews.

Sarah and Gary Andrews speak to the media outside Nottingham Magistrates' Court. Credit: PA

Judge Leong added: “My assessment is that the level of culpability is high, where offences on Wynter and Mrs Andrews are concerned.

“There were systems in place, but there were so many procedures and practices where guidance was not followed or adhered to or implemented.”

The judge said that the full fine after a trial, combining the totals for offences against both Wynter and Mrs Andrews, would have been £1.2 million, but this was reduced to £800,000 due to the trust’s early guilty pleas.

It will also pay prosecution costs of £13,668.65 and a victim surcharge of £181, with Bernard Thorogood, mitigating on its behalf, asking for two years to pay the sum.

Outside the court on Wednesday, Mrs Andrews said she was "failed in the most cruel way" by the NHS trust.

Chief Executive of Nottingham University Hospital Trust Anthony May. Credit: PA

The trust accepted wrongdoing to the CQC several months prior to Wednesday’s court hearing, with chief executive Anthony May reiterating its apology.

In a statement, he said: “We are truly sorry for the pain and grief that we caused Mr and Mrs Andrews due to failings in the maternity care we provided.

“We let them down at what should have been a joyous time in their lives.”

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