Mother joins calls for maternity review at Sussex hospital trust after baby’s death

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A mother from Southwater near Horsham is calling on the Government to launch an independent inquiry into maternity care in Sussex.

Chloe Vowels Lovett's daughter Esme was delivered at Worthing Hospital in 2022 but her heart was not beating.

She says she her concerns during pregnancy were ignored.

An internal review has since found there were missed chances by medical staff.

Chloe and her husband Toby conceived after seven years of trying and two rounds of IVF Credit: ITV News Meridian

Ms Vowels Lovett says her “horrendous stabbing pains” which began 33 weeks into her pregnancy had been dismissed by hospital staff as normal.

A post-mortem examination and internal investigation at Worthing hospital later found the 29-year-old, who was deemed a high-risk pregnancy, had placenta abruption and another condition of polyhydramnios.

The findings also said medics missed at least six opportunities to have intervened before Esme’s death, according to law firm CL Medilaw.

Ms Vowels Lovett and her husband Toby Lovett are campaigning for an independent review to take place into University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Worthing Hospital and Royal Sussex County Hospital among others.

  • Chloe Vowels Lovett says she was not listened to by midwifery staff

The couple were expecting Esme after seven years of trying to conceive and six miscarriages.

They say a theme of “not being listened to” by midwives and doctors emerged when speaking to other parents.

Since her death, Ms Vowels Lovett said: “As time went on, we began realising that it wasn’t just us that this has happened to, there’s more and more of us and there’s actually a group of us who have now come together who have all lost babies with this particular trust.

“I think it just pushes forward the fact that something more needs to be done, because with all of us and our cases, we’re all promised afterwards this will change and we’ll make these improvements.

“But meeting these other families, it’s kind of a timeline that proves that these changes aren’t happening. So I think pushing for a review, hopefully we’ll force their hand.”

An all-parliamentary inquiry into birth trauma was published this week Credit: ITV News Meridian

She added: “I know for myself and others, it almost feels like a little bit of justice for us. And obviously to try and help prevent other families going through the same thing.

“To lose a child when you shouldn’t have lost a child is just unbearable.”

The campaign comes as an all-parliamentary inquiry into birth trauma was published this week which heard from 1,300 people who had traumatic birth experiences and concluded that women are often “treated as an inconvenience”.

Trust bosses have apologised to the family for Esme’s death and have said the investigation from the incident has led to improvements in the service.

Ms Vowels Lovett visited and called Worthing hospital several times during the final stages of her pregnancy Credit: ITV News Meridian

The University Hospitals Sussex Trust chief of women and children’s division, Dr Tim Taylor, said: “We have met with Esme’s family to express our deepest condolences and sincere apologies for their devastating loss, and I would like to repeat that apology publicly today.

“Following this tragedy in 2022, we carried out an extensive investigation to help answer the family’s questions.

"This led to significant improvements being made to the service, which we have implemented and since shared with the family.”

Since the investigation ended in October 2022, the trust has offered urgent appointments for parents with complex medical issues, and launched a centralised telephone triage service among other improvements.

The Government told ITV News Meridian it is committed to demoing a strategy to boost maternity care while MPs in Sussex will soon meet to discuss concerns about care locally.

Health Minister Maria Caufield MP said, “The loss of any baby is a tragedy and deepest condolences are with Chloe and Toby Lovett. We recognise concerns about this trust and will be meeting with Sussex MPs shortly to discuss.

“We are committed to making the NHS one of the safest places in the world to give birth, a priority in our Women’s Health Strategy for 2024, and we are investing an additional £186 million a year to improve maternity and neonatal care.

“While the rate of stillbirths is down 23 per cent, we know there is more to do. That is why we fully support developing a comprehensive, cross-government national strategy to boost maternity care.”