Latest news with #LeedsGeneralInfirmary
BBC News
4 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
‘My baby died after I was ignored.' More families call for Leeds NHS maternity inquiry
When Tassie Weaver went into labour at full term, she thought she was hours away from holding her first child. But, by the time she was giving birth, she knew her son had had previously told Tassie to call her local maternity unit immediately when she went into labour, she says, because her high blood pressure and concerns about the baby's growth meant she needed monitoring. But when she first phoned, despite being considered high risk, a midwife told her to stay at hours later, worried she now could not feel her baby moving, she called again. Once more the same midwife told her to stay put - saying this was normal because women can be too distracted by their contractions to feel anything else."I was treated as just a kind of hysterical woman in pain who doesn't know what's going on because it's their first pregnancy," the 39-year-old tells she rang a third time, a couple of hours later, a different midwife told her to come to hospital straight away, but by the time she arrived it was too late. Her son's heart had stopped and her husband, John, believe Baxter's stillbirth four years ago at Leeds General Infirmary (LGI),could have been prevented. A review by the NHS trust that runs the hospital identified care issues "likely to have made a difference to the outcome".The couple are among 47 new families who have contacted the BBC with concerns about inadequate maternity care at Leeds Teaching Hospitals (LTH) NHS Trust between 2017 and 2024. These include parents who told us their babies died or had been injured, and women who described injury and trauma following inadequate had all seen our January investigation into the potentially avoidable deaths of 56 babies and two mothers at the trust between 2019 and to the latest concerns, LTH told the BBC it was "deeply sorry" that families had been let down by the care they had received. It said it recognised it needed to make trust had taken "clear steps to make real and lasting changes", said its chief medical officer Dr Magnus Harrison, since unannounced inspections in December 2024 and January 2025 by England's regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC)."We are investing in our workforce, focusing on consistently safe staffing levels, and strengthening our culture to prioritise openness, compassion and respect," he added. If you have been affected by the issues in this story, you can contact the BBC Action Line here As well as the new families, three more whistleblowers - in addition to the two in our first investigation - have also shared concerns about the standard of care at LTH maternity units, at LGI and St James' University sites are rated "good" by the CQC, but all the whistleblowers believe that rating does not reflect is a problem with the culture, one senior staff member told us. "People [staff] are scared to raise concerns because nothing ever happens when they are raised. So there's a 'what's the point' attitude."There were also 107 clinical claims made against LTH for obstetric-related deaths and injuries between April 2015 and April 2024, the BBC has learned via a Freedom of Information request to NHS Resolution - the health service's insurance than £71m was paid during this period including for 14 stillbirths, and 13 fatalities involving mothers or babies, including Tassie's son, Baxter. 'The door is definitely unlocked' A total of 67 families have now told the BBC they experienced inadequate care at LTH's two maternity units. All want an independent review into the trust's maternity services - and a group of them have asked Health Secretary Wes Streeting for senior midwife Donna Ockenden to lead it. Some Leeds families also joined others from across England this week, to urge Mr Streeting to hold a national inquiry into maternity safety. On Tuesday, he met parents who said they "got a very clear message" that he was considering one. Jack Hawkins, whose daughter Harriet died in 2016 in Nottingham, told us afterwards: "The door is definitely unlocked. It's the only way we can improve what's going on."Mr Streeting had told a different group on Monday, however, that he would not hold an inquiry, preferring instead to announce a separate plan - opposed by families - to improve BBC understands such a plan would include an improvement taskforce led by non-NHS officials, a buddying system between poorly performing and better trusts, and a restorative justice approach where hospitals and families would meet and vow to be open and Streeting continues to meet bereaved families "to best understand how we can improve maternity services as swiftly as possible", a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said in a statement."We are finalising measures to strengthen leadership and build a culture rooted in safety, respect, and compassion in maternity services," they added. 'I knew we needed help' Tassie's care was graded "D" - the lowest possible - by the trust's review confirmed "the mother presented with reduced fetal 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 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 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 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 says she repeatedly raised concerns about reduced fetal 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 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". 'Swept under the carpet' 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 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 trust does not "learn from their mistakes", they added, and often things are "swept under the carpet". 'Taking concerns very seriously' 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 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 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 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." Do you have more information about this story?You can reach Divya directly and securely through encrypted messaging app Signal on: +44 7961 390 325, by email at or her Instagram account.
BBC News
5 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Leeds maternity
When Tassie Weaver went into labour at full term, she thought she was hours away from holding her first child. But by the time she was giving birth, she knew her son had had previously told Tassie to call her local maternity unit immediately, she says, as she was considered high risk and needed monitoring, due to high blood pressure and concerns about the baby's growth. But a midwife told her to stay at hours later she called again, worried because now she couldn't feel her baby moving. Again, she was told to stay at home, the same midwife saying that this was normal because women can be too distracted by their contractions to feel anything else."I was treated as just a kind of hysterical woman in pain who doesn't know what's going on because it's their first pregnancy," the 39-year-old tells she called a third time, a different midwife told her to come to hospital, but when she arrived it was too late. His heart had stopped and her husband John believe Baxter's stillbirth at the Leeds General Infirmary (LGI), four years ago, could have been prevented - and a review by the trust identified care issues "likely to have made a difference to the outcome".The couple are among 47 new families who have contacted the BBC with concerns about inadequate maternity care at Leeds Teaching Hospitals (LTH) NHS Trust between 2017 and 2024. These include parents who told us their babies died or had been injured, and women who described injury and trauma following inadequate had seen our January investigation into the potentially avoidable deaths of 56 babies and two mothers at the trust between 2019 and the latest families' accounts, LTH told the BBC it was "deeply sorry" they had been let down by the care they had received and said it recognised it needed to make trust's chief medical officer Dr Magnus Harrison said it had taken "clear steps to make real and lasting changes" since unannounced inspections in December 2024 and January 2025 by England's regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC)."We are investing in our workforce, focusing on consistently safe staffing levels, and strengthening our culture to prioritise openness, compassion and respect," he added. If you have been affected by the issues in this story, you can contact the BBC Action Line here As well as the new families, three new whistleblowers - two who still work for the trust - have shared concerns about the standard of care at its two maternity units - at the LGI and St James' University Hospital. This is in addition to the two we spoke to in our initial units are rated "good" by the CQC, but the whistleblowers believe that rating does not reflect was a problem with the culture, one senior staff member told us. "People [staff] are scared to raise concerns because nothing ever happens when they are raised. So there's a 'what's the point' attitude," they BBC has also learned that 107 clinical claims were made against LTH for obstetric-related deaths and injuries between April 2015 and April 2024. This was obtained via a Freedom of Information request to NHS Resolution - the health service's insurance than £71m was paid during this period including for 14 stillbirths, and 13 fatalities involving mothers or babies. These babies included Tassie's son, Baxter. 'I knew we needed help' Tassie's care was graded by the trust's review team - which should include an external member - as a D, the lowest confirmed that "the mother presented with reduced fetal 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. "Labour is painful, but when you know the baby's dead… I can't even explain."The review group also agreed that Tassie should have been offered an induction earlier at 39 weeks given the combined risks of hypertension and growth concerns with her Harrison from the trust said it offered "sincere apologies and condolences" to Ms Weaver and her family for their "distressing experiences and loss".He added: "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." In total, 67 families have now told the BBC they experienced inadequate maternity care at Leeds. All are calling for an independent review into its maternity themes were expressed repeatedly by the 47 new families who contacted the BBC when we spoke to them. These included women feeling like they were not being listened to when they raised concerns, a lack of compassion, and families saying the trust made them feel like they were alone in their of the families paid an undisclosed settlement was Heidi Mayman and her partner Dale Morton, who gave birth to their first daughter Lyla in 2019, two years before Tassie gave birth to Baxter. Lyla died aged four also 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. During her labour she also repeatedly raised concerns about reduced fetal movements and worsening pain."I just wish she were here. I feel like it's just ruined our lives, I'll never get over it," Heidi told external investigation following Lyla's death by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB), identified safety dad, Dale says reading the investigation, which outlined the protocols the midwives had failed to follow was "just like a catalogue of errors". 'Swept under the carpet' In January, we reported that 27 stillbirths and 29 neonatal deaths at LTH between 2019 and mid-2024 - and two deaths of mothers - had been judged to have been potentially preventable by a trust review deaths reviewed included babies with congenital abnormalities and newborns and mothers transferred after birth for specialist care. The trust said the number of potentially-avoidable neonatal deaths had been "very small".Following our report, a group of parents wrote to Health Secretary Wes Streeting calling for an urgent review into Leeds' maternity services following the BBC investigation, to be led by senior midwife Donna Ockenden. He has written to the families but not yet made a have now spoken to a total of five whistleblowers, three still working for the trust, who have echoed concerns raised by of them is a senior clinical staff member who told us they have seen "near misses" because of inadequate staffing also recalled an incident, in which a baby died, which they believe could have been prevented if issues had been recognised earlier during the staff member told the BBC the trust does not "learn from their mistakes" and often things are "swept under the carpet". 'Taking concerns very seriously' A full report of the CQC's findings following its inspection of the trust's maternity and neonatal services, including all action it has told the trust to take, is due to be published 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 months after our initial report, NHS England placed the trust 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, 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." Do you have more information about this story?You can reach Divya directly and securely through encrypted messaging app Signal on: +44 7961 390 325, by email at or her Instagram account.
BBC News
11-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Staff discover 'suspicious substance' at Leeds General Infirmary
Emergency services are working to identify a "suspicious substance" discovered by staff at a hospital in Yorkshire Police said specialist officers were sent to Leeds General Infirmary just after 11:00 BST after staff found the substance in a small package.A force spokesperson confirmed it had been contained on site and said there was not thought to be a wider risk to the public at injuries have been reported. The trust which runs the hospital has been contacted for comment. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
The Sun
11-06-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Emergency lockdown at UK hospital as staff open ‘small package' containing ‘suspicious substance'
A HOSPITAL was placed on lockdown after staff unearthed a small package containing a 'suspicious substance'. Cops swooped in to identify the item at Leeds General Infirmary after being alerted to the package today at around 11.02am. 3 3 Fire engines were also spotted at the hospital. The package has been contained on site and West Yorkshire Police believe there is no wider risk to the public. A spokesperson for the force said: "At 11.02am today [Wednesday], police received a report of a small package containing a suspicious substance which had been opened by staff at Leeds General Infirmary. "Specialist officers have been deployed to the location to identify the substance, which has been contained on site. "There is not believed to be any wider risk at present." 3
BBC News
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Giant 1970s cheese plant rehomed at Leeds indoor zoo
A giant cheese plant which has been growing at a Leeds medical school since the 1970s has been rehomed at a nearby indoor monster Monstera - named Audrey after the blood-sucking antagonist of the 1986 film Little Shop of Horrors - had lived in the stairwell of Old Medical School at Leeds General to building work at the site, the 3m (10ft) tall plant has now been rehoused at nearby Tropical World in Roundhay, which boasts the largest collection of tropical plants outside Kew attraction manager Jo Langton said moving Audrey had been a "massive challenge" but they were "determined to do everything we could to rescue her". Audrey needed to be trimmed back before she was able to be moved, but has now been replanted in the Rainforest Canopy established, the NHS plans to install a plaque to explain her Langton said: "She's going to need a lot of TLC and it's still early days, but fortunately we do have an established cheese plant here already which grows extremely well, so we all have our fingers crossed that she'll adapt to her new surroundings."We also know that Audrey has quite a following on social media, so we're happy to share that she's still around in Leeds and would love visitors to come along and see her settling in." Native to central and south America, monstera can grow up to a height of 20m (66ft) in the wild, climbing trees by using a network of aerial roots which hooks over Rafique, Leeds City Council's executive member for climate, energy, environment and green space, said: "It's wonderful that we've been able to give Audrey a new home so her story can continue, and we can preserve a little bit of Leeds history for visitors so enjoy too." About the Monstera Deliciosa The Monstera plant's scientific name is Monstera deliciosa, from the Latin which means "delicious monster".The delicious element comes from its fruit, said to taste like a cross between a banana and a is also known as a Swiss cheese plant, as its leaves are heart-shaped when young, but become perforated (or Swiss cheese-like) as they cheese plants are easy house plants to care for and are generally pest- and disease-free. They can live for years in the right are very forgiving when it comes to watering. They tolerate even the most neglectful of plant owners, so it's a great plant for those who are new to growing house plants or are away from the home frequently. (Source: BBC Gardener's World) Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
