In November 2016, a group of parents requested a public inquiry to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths of their babies who had died during birth at a hospital in Ayrshire.
The deaths, of which at least six occurred at Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock, happened over the course of eight years. NHS Ayrshire and Arran issued apologies to families following the death of their babies.
Now, Shona Robison, the Health Secretary for Scotland, is considering ways to improve investigations into stillbirths and has asked the Crown Office to review the matter. Ms Robison wants to look into how fatal accident inquiries could include cases in which babies have died prior to or during childbirth. The parents concerned believed they had received inadequate care and the outcome could have been better if the cases were handled differently.
As it stands, in Scotland babies who are stillborn have no legal personality, thus ruling out any chance of a fatal accident inquiry being held to establish the cause of their death.
According to stillbirth charity Tommy’s, 9 babies are stillborn in the UK every day and around 1 in every 227 births ends in a stillbirth.
Following a review into the deaths at the Ayrshire hospital, it was recommended that there be better staff training put in place and improvements made to treatment of bereaved parents.
It is hoped the inquiry will bring much needed clarity and accountability in maternity wards and improve stillbirth inquiries in Scottish hospitals.
