A mother whose baby was stillborn after she was sent home from hospital while bleeding has been granted £130,000 in compensation following a medical negligence case.
Alex Barr was 42 weeks pregnant and due for an induction on the evening of April 20, 2020, but went to the hospital that morning with an elevated heart rate and bleeding.
Midwives dismissed her concerns and sent her home, but she began haemorrhaging and despite being rushed back to hospital by ambulance, daughter Marnie was stillborn.
Alex and husband Steve believe that had she remained in hospital Marnie’s heart abnormalities would have likely been detected and on the balance of probabilities she would have survived.
Now, after a lengthy legal battle University Hospitals Dorset has paid them £130,000 compensation, but no fault was admitted by the trust.
The couple, from Christchurch, say they are still fighting for justice and change so other families do not face the agony they did.
Alex, a specialist renal nurse, said: ‘It was never about the money for us, as no amount could ever replace our daughter or mend our shattered lives.
‘We wanted, and still want, accountability.
‘We wanted to know that the Trust recognised its failings and had taken concrete steps to ensure no other family would suffer as we have.’
Alex’s pregnancy had already been an anxious one, she had suffered with hyperemesis gravidarum, the extreme morning sickness condition, throughout.
She also had to have extra scans when Marnie’s growth slowed down in the third trimester.
As she neared her due date she asked about induction but was told there was no reason she could not have a normal birth.
But she was eventually booked for an induction 12 days past her due date.
The morning of the induction she started leaking fluid and went to Poole Hospital.
But after 20 minutes of monitoring, a midwife cleared her to go home and wait for her 9pm induction, despite Alex showing them bright-red blood.
The midwife dismissed it as her ‘show’, a plug of mucus sometimes tinged with blood close to labour.
Alex, 37, said: ‘I was really panicked seeing blood at the end of my pregnancy.
‘I felt like they were washing their hands of me.’
Within ten minutes of the car ride home Alex began experiencing contraction-like pains and by the time they got home she was bleeding heavily.
Despite being rushed to hospital, Marnie’s heartbeat could not be found and was pronounced dead at 2.30pm.
Marnie was stillborn 19 hours later at 9.55am on April 21, 2020.
Alex said in the weeks before her daughter’s death she asked about the risks of still birth and the possibility of an early induction, which ‘still haunts her now’.
A legal investigation by Alex and Steven’s lawyers, Enable Law, found nine areas of alleged negligence.
University Hospitals Dorset deny any wrongdoing, including any fresh bleeding and the requirement for escalation or immediate induction.
Alex and Steven said they requested to meet with the hospital trust during the legal proceedings, but were denied.
Alex said: ‘The whole legal process was dehumanising.
‘I feel like I have not got justice.’
A spokesperson for UHD said: ‘We are very sorry for Alex and Steven Barr following the loss of their daughter Marnie.
‘We reviewed their case thoroughly, and always make improvements from any recommendations or learning we find.
‘We also have a dedicated education team who provide training throughout the year for our colleagues.’
Enable Law lawyer, Jennifer Janes, said she supported Alex and Steven through the legal process and gained independent medical advice on Alex’s care which resulted in Marnie’s death.
She said: ‘We remain seriously concerned that problems in maternity care are cultural and systemic, and this is often reflected in the findings of independent investigations.
‘Sadly, we expect the findings at University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust to be the same.
‘We hope this leads to meaningful change, improving patient safety and preventing families experiencing the same devastating loss as Alex and Steve.’
