Grieving Kent mother 'told not to worry' wants accountability after son was stillborn

• Kristina and Lee Pepper from Sheerness spoke to ITV News Meridian's Sarah Saunders

A grieving mother from Kent says her baby son could be alive today - if she had been admitted to a maternity unit when she raised concerns.

Kristina and Lee Pepper from Sheerness called a midwife helpline because Kristina was losing fluid during her high-risk pregnancy.

In a call lasting less than three minutes, they say the midwife they spoke to did not check her medical records, or even ask for her name, yet they were told over the phone to stay home and not worry.

Two days after she had asked to be seen in person, and just shortly before her planned c-section, Kristina realised she could no longer feel the baby moving and called the helpline again.

This time she was told to go to the hospital immediately. Their son, Theo, was stillborn at the Medway Maritime Hospital.

The Medway NHS Trust has since apologised but the couple say an apology is not enough - they feel there should be accountability for mistakes that were made.

Kristina Pepper said: "She failed to take my name, she also failed to access my medical records - and on top of that the calls aren't recorded.

"[Two days later] I got taken into a room and there was a scan performed - there was no heartbeat - our little boy wasn't coming any more.

"The midwife was working at home and not accessing a patient's file yet giving advice which results in a death."

Lee Pepper added: "[The midwife] was trying everything to get off that phone so quick, she wasn't listening to what we were saying to her.

"He was so precious to us and we were so looking forward to being a family that we've waited so long to be."

• Kristina and Lee spoke about losing Theo

An internal report found that during the call the midwife failed to take an appropriate clinical history from the patient.

It also found questions, to make an appropriate clinical assessment, were not asked.

The midwife had been preoccupied with a previous telephone conversation with a patient with a complex history.

It also stated that the midwife had taken 83 calls and not had a break that day.Medway NHS Trust has shared the report with all staff and says it has reinforced the need to record calls - and give refresher training.

Sarah Vaux, Interim Chief Nursing Officer for Medway NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We offer our deepest condolences to Mr and Mrs Pepper for the devastating loss of their baby and we are deeply sorry for the distress they are experiencing.

"We carried out an extensive investigation to help answer the family’s questions and to identify and implement improvements to the service, and the findings were recently shared with them.

"We continue to offer Mr and Mrs Pepper our support for as long as they need it."

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