- A study showed Britain has the highest stillbirth rate among 35 rich nations
- Some 3,300 babies are stillborn each year, 1,000 of which are full term
- Parents believe hospitals can falsify records to avoid damaging inquests
- Caroline Tully, whose daughter Clara was still born wants inquests for all
Babies are dying needlessly in labour because stillbirths are not being properly investigated, campaigners claim. And hospitals are failing to learn vital lessons from the ‘catastrophic’ deaths, say experts.
Britain has the third highest rate of stillbirth among 35 rich nations, according to a study in The Lancet, with around 3,300 a year. Some 1,000 are at full term. Currently hospitals investigate stillbirths themselves – even if the baby dies just minutes before delivery. But parents say they can falsely record babies as stillborn to avoid potentially damaging inquests. Bereaved parents, legal experts and MPs last night said stillbirths occurring at delivery had to be reported to a coroner if future deaths were to be avoided.
Caroline Tully, who fought for an inquest after being told her daughter Clara was stillborn, said: ‘It doesn’t seem right that a full-term baby can be alive one minute, then die in labour, and there’s no external investigation.’ She wants a ‘Clara’s Law’ to make it a legal requirement for all deaths of full-term babies in labour to be reported to the coroner.
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Caroline Tully fought for an inquest for her daughter, Clara, pictured, who was stillborn
Filed under: Uncategorized, investigation, Stillbirths
