Hospital admits errors that led to stillbirth a decade ago

For a decade after her baby Kaiden was stillborn, Hayley Brunt blamed herself for the child’s death.

- REBECCA THOMAS

The “deep grief” in believing she had been to blame for her baby’s death sent Hayley’s mental health into a spiral so bad she made multiple attempts to take her life, and caused her extreme anxiety during later pregnancies. Now Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) has admitted that its own mistakes led to the death of Kaiden in 2013.

Ms Brunt, 27, is one of almost 2,000 families whose maternity care will be scrutinised by an inquiry led by Donna Ockenden. The probe was launched by Savid Javid, then the secretary of state for health and social care, after The Independent revealed in 2021 that dozens of babies and mothers had been harmed as a result of poor care by NUH services. The trust is also facing a criminal investigation into alleged failings in its maternity care.

Speaking with The Independent, Hayley – who has since had three more children – said that shortly after Kaiden’s funeral she was told by a hospital doctor that his death had been due to her placenta “not working”.

“This led to me blaming myself and my body for what happened to him. The inconsolable grief for Kaiden’s loss and the blame I felt caused my mental health to spiral. I began suffering awful nightmares about Kaiden and his delivery, which continue today. I became so depressed and low that it led to me making a number of attempts to end my life.

“I have had more children since Kaiden’s death, and each of the pregnancies has been plagued with anxiety and fear that history will repeat itself,” she said.