Dozens more parents demand maternity care inquiry

Tassie's care was graded "D" - the lowest possible - by the trust's review team.

It confirmed "the mother presented with reduced foetal movements but management was not appropriate".

"I knew that me and my baby needed help, and I tried to communicate that as clearly as I could, and I didn't get that help," Tassie says.

"I had another 17 hours in labour… having to sign consent forms for a post mortem whilst having contractions trying to deliver my son, who I knew wasn't alive.

"That's not something anyone should ever have to do."

Given her combined risks, Tassie should have been offered an induction earlier, at 39 weeks, concluded the review group.

The trust told us it offered "sincere apologies and condolences" to Ms Weaver and her family for their "distressing experiences and loss".

"Immediate internal and external reviews of the care provided were undertaken and we made a number of changes as a result of this tragic case," added Dr Harrison.

Common themes were expressed repeatedly by the latest families to contact us - including women feeling like they had not been listened to when they raised concerns, a lack of compassion, and families saying the trust made them feel like they were alone in their experience.

One couple paid an undisclosed settlement by NHS Resolution on behalf of the trust was Heidi Mayman and her partner Dale Morton.

Heidi gave birth to their first daughter Lyla in 2019, two years before Tassie gave birth to Baxter. Lyla died aged four days.

Heidi believes her concerns were not taken seriously during her "traumatic" labour. Lyla was born in poor condition about 37 hours after Heidi says she first called the LGI's maternity assessment centre, reporting blood and fluid loss.

Heidi says she repeatedly raised concerns about reduced foetal movements and worsening pain and, like Tassie, made multiple calls before being advised to attend.

"I just wish she [Lyla] were here. I feel like it's just ruined our lives, I'll never get over it," Heidi told us.

The protocols the midwives had failed to follow were outlined, along with future safety recommendations, in an external investigation by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB).

Lyla's dad, Dale says the investigation reads "just like a catalogue of errors".

In January, we reported that 27 stillbirths and 29 neonatal deaths at LTH between 2019 and mid-2024 - plus two deaths of mothers - had been judged to have been potentially preventable by a trust review group.

The deaths reviewed included babies with congenital abnormalities - and newborns and mothers transferred after birth for specialist care. The trust said in response to our initial story that the number of potentially-avoidable neonatal deaths had been "very small".

A senior clinical staff member working at the trust - one of the new whistleblowers - told us inadequate staffing levels had led to what they described as "near misses".

They also said a baby had died unnecessarily on one occasion, because issues had not been recognised earlier during the mother's labour.

The trust does not "learn from their mistakes", they added, and often things are "swept under the carpet".

A full report of the CQC's findings following its inspections of the trust's maternity and neonatal services, including all action it has told the trust to take, is due to be published shortly.

The trust was given immediate feedback regarding urgent concerns which required action to address identified risks, the CQC told us. It also took enforcement action requiring the implementation of safe staffing levels.

Two months after our report in January, NHS England placed LTH under its maternity safety support programme (MSSP) which works to improve trusts where serious concerns have been identified.

"We are taking the concerns raised by families about the quality and safety of maternity care in Leeds incredibly seriously," chief midwifery officer for England, Kate Brintworth, told us.

LTH's Dr Magnus Harrison said in a statement: "We are fully committed to ensuring that every family receives safe, respectful and compassionate care. We recognise we need to make improvements."

He added: "We have commissioned an independent external review to complement NHS England's Peer Quality Review of our neonatal services, so that we can better understand the data on neonatal outcomes."

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