Baby death raises questions over maternity care
Beth and Dan Wankiewicz want answers about why their baby son Clay died last year, shortly after his birth at Doncaster Royal Infirmary. Despite a low-risk pregnancy, the family say Clay died from multiple skull fractures.
Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS Foundation Trust said "the provision and delivery of high-quality" care is a priority.
The BBC has found a 2016 review flagging concerns about the hospital's maternity care was never published. The report - one of scores of unpublished reports discovered by a Freedom of Information request by BBC's Panorama programme - highlighted significant patient safety concerns.
Beth Wankiewicz was admitted to hospital last July, but after a day of labour her baby had still not been born. With no consultant doctor on site, a junior doctor made two attempts to deliver the baby with forceps, after getting advice on the phone.
Father, Dan, remembers the second attempt with forceps being much more vigorous "which was a bit of a shock".
The family say there was a further delay before they had a Caesarean section. Their baby had to be pushed back up the birth canal into the womb for the C-section to be performed.
"I think after about 10 minutes, we both looked at the clock, and we said it's not looking good," said Dan.
Around 20 minutes after their son was born, despite attempts to resuscitate him, they were told he had died.
The following day they say a midwife told them she was being pressurised by other staff to say Clay had been stillborn, but she was sure he had been born alive, and she had heard a heartbeat.
The family now believe this was to avoid scrutiny and the need for a coroner's inquest, which doesn't happen with still births.
Source: BBC News, 19 May 2021