Heartbreaking story of Liberty a reminder of need for change at Trust

The inquiry into maternity services at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust by highly-respected senior midwife Donna Ockenden has been widely welcomed. If anyone is going to deliver a robust review of the failings at the Trust it is Donna Ockenden.

The heartbreaking experiences of families who suffered as a result of neglect at the Trust must not be forgotten.

Lisa-Marie Thorpe should never have had to endure what she did at the hands of the Trust. A routine scan showed that her daughter had serious heart defects and her care was transferred to Leeds.

What unfolded after was unacceptable by any measure. Ms Thorpe’s induction was delayed for three days owing to lack of cot space at Leeds, leading to her having to give birth at Calderdale Royal Hospital in Halifax after going into spontaneous labour. A hospital that was ill-equipped for a baby with a heart condition.

Then there was the lack of post-natal care for Ms Thorpe and her being separated from her newborn daughter Liberty. Staff even tried to deter the mother from approaching Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital which provides heart transplants for young children.

At a time when empathy was of the utmost importance, it was severely lacking. Rather disgracefully Ms Thorpe was told the baby’s bed is costing £3,000 a day, as the Trust looked to push to get them out of hospital.

The death of Liberty and the traumatising experience Ms Thorpe had is a reminder of why there is a need for an inquiry and why that needs to be followed up with drastic change at the Trust.