Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust are now investigating the incident
A woman was forced to keep the remains of her baby in a fridge after NHS staff told her they had nowhere to store them.
A full investigation is underway after Laura Brody had to take the remains of her baby home following a miscarriage she suffered at four months.
Laura and her partner Lawrence had rushed to University Hospital Lewisham’s early pregnancy unit after she started bleeding considerably. Despite being told there was a heartbeat at first, further scans later confirmed that her baby had died.
Laura was sent home to wait for a hospital bed but suffered a miscarriage in her bathroom just two days later.
The couple had phoned 999 but were told that their situation did not constitute an emergency. Even after reaching A&E, Laura and Lawrence “were put in the general waiting room and told to sit at the back”.
Laura was forced to sit in a busy waiting room holding her baby “in a Tupperware box” for five hours. After finally being seen, she was then told she’d need surgery to remove the placenta.
“There was no-one at the hospital willing to take charge of our baby,” Lawrence told the BBC. “No-one seemed to know what was going on.”
Lawrence added: “Our baby had been in a hot room for nearly five hours now.”
The couple, who have just spoken out about the incident, eventually decided that Lawrence would take their baby home while Laura stayed for treatment.
“It feels like there’s no safety net when things go wrong with pregnancy,” Laura told the broadcaster. “And even with all the staff and experts working really hard, the processes are so flawed, that it just felt like we’d been tipped into hell.”
Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust are now investigating the incident that happened a few months ago, saying: “We are deeply sorry and offer our sincerest condolences to Ms Brody and her partner for the tragic loss of their baby and these traumatic experiences.
“A full investigation is underway to understand where failings in care may have occurred so that any necessary changes and improvements can be made.”
Minister for women’s health and nurse Maria Caulfield commented: “Every loss of a child is a tragedy, and my deepest sympathies are with Ms Brody and her family.”
Caulfield emphasised that “this government” is committed to maternity care and making it the safest in the world.
She continued: “We have invested £95 million into the recruitment of 1,200 midwives and 100 consultant obstetricians, whilst our new Maternity Disparities Taskforce is exploring how to further reduce the number of still births and maternal deaths.
“Later this year, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists will publish new guidelines which will support NHS trusts to deliver more personalised miscarriage care, helping women through every step of their journey, including treatment options and management of future pregnancies”
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