Couple demand national maternity inquiry after Sussex baby death

Abigail Fowler-Miller was born by caesarean section in a Royal Sussex County Hospital waiting room at 7.49pm on January 21.

Mother Katie Fowler and Rob Miller had contacted the hospital’s maternity ward four times that day with growing concerns over Katie’s worsening condition.

The couple travelled to the hospital by taxi which arrived at the hospital’s Millennium Wing, rather than the accident and emergency or labour departments.

Ms Fowler had collapsed by the time they arrived. An emergency caesarean section was performed by the maternity registrar and Ms Fowler was given resuscitation whilst her baby was being resuscitated on a nearby chair.

It was found that Ms Fowler had a 5cm rupture on the back wall of her uterus. Her baby died two days later due to multiple organ failure.

Ms Fowler and Mr Miller with baby Abigail (Image: Katie Fowler/Rob Miller)

An inquest found that Abigail’s life could have been significantly prolonged if the hospital had acted sooner.

Now, Ms Fowler and Mr Miller have called for a national inquiry into maternity care to prevent further infant deaths caused by hospital failings.

“To lose our daughter has destroyed us and to know things should have been different is impossible to come to terms with,” said Ms Fowler.

“This should not have happened. Abigail should still be with us. We miss her every single day but it isn’t just about our loss. It’s also about hers, of the life she should have had.

“We want to ensure no other family has to experience what we have, but until the decline in maternity services across the country is taken seriously, this will continue to happen.

“We see a national inquiry into maternity services across the UK as an absolutely essential step to protect babies and families.”

Mr Miller said there must be procedural changes made for when expectant parents contact maternity units via telephone.

Royal Sussex County Hospital (Image: UH Sussex)

He said: “There are currently no national guidelines for managing maternity triage by phone – how can this be possible when it is so often the first port of call for pregnant people in labour?

READ MORE: Sussex hospital admits failings after baby dies at just two days old

“The need for change is urgent and long overdue, and our own traumatic experience has shown the results of ignoring these issues.

“A national inquiry is the only way forward. We cannot continue to treat every incident as a separate tragedy. The government needs to look at the pattern of consistent failures across the UK and make real changes to maternity care to reverse the decline of this vital service.”