A couple supported by Switalskis specialist medical negligence and maternity experts have featured on a BBC Panorama programme to share the tragic story of how their baby died just 23 minutes after birth. After a number of failures at a maternity unit run by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH), the Trust is now the subject of the largest maternity inquiry in the history of the NHS.

Sarah and Gary announced they were expecting their first child, a baby girl who they named Wynter, at their wedding in 2019. Tragically, Wynter died just 23 minutes after she was born at the Trust's Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham.

Concerns repeatedly dismissed

Just two weeks before Wynter was due to be born, Sarah began to experience continuous contractions over a six-day period but was repeatedly told to stay at home by staff at the Queens Medical Centre.

Sarah tells the BBC programme, Maternity Failures: The Fight for Justice: “They were telling me I was okay and I believed them. I really thought everyone was doing their best for us but, looking back, we realise how wrong I was.”

When Sarah and Gary were eventually admitted to hospital, they say they were left alone for long periods and that it was around 24 hours before cardiotocography (CTG) monitoring was carried out to assess Wynter's heart rate.

Sarah recalled staff expressing concerns about Wynter's condition.

“They kept commenting on her heart rate dipping,” Sarah told the BBC. A midwife twice raised concerns but was ignored and it was three hours after concerns were first raised that Sarah was taken for a caesarean section procedure, which is when Sarah first realised how serious the situation was.

"Something was gravely wrong"

Sarah described the moment she realised the seriousness of the situation.

She said: “It was only when I was in the operating theatre that it hit me that something was gravely wrong. The mood in theatre changed. There was an air of panic. That was when they discovered there was an infection because the smell of infection filled the room.”

Wynter was born but staff then had to work desperately to try and keep her alive, a fight they would lose with Sarah and Gary’s daughter tragically dying just 23 minutes after her birth.

Recalling the desperate fight to save Wynter, Sarah said: “There was a clock on the wall and I was watching. I remember that at 18 minutes it clicked and I realised that they weren’t going to be able to help her.”

Following Wynter's death, Sarah and Gary were moved to a bereavement suite where they spent precious time with their daughter, reading to her and talking about the future they had imagined for her.

Inquest found Wynter's death was preventable

Initially, Sarah and Gary were told that Wynter's death had been a tragic accident. However, they felt there were unanswered questions about what had happened.

The couple, however, knew there was more to their loss. Sarah said: “When they left, I said to Gary: ‘Something’s not right.”

An inquest into Wynter’s death revealed multiple failures in her care and ruled that her death was preventable, saying it had been a clear and obvious example of neglect. It also emerged that the Trust was short of 73 midwives at the time of Wynter’s death.

The Panorama programme additionally highlighted concerns raised by former staff members about the treatment of mothers within the Trust's maternity services.

Campaigning for change

Since Wynter’s death, Sarah and Gary, who are being supported in their case against the Trust by maternity experts in Switalskis medical negligence team, have become campaigners for improvements in care at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust’s maternity units, including the Queens Medical Centre.

Their campaign, supported by Switalskis, led to the Ockenden review, now the largest inquiry into care in the history of the NHS.

The impact of Wynter's death has been profound. Sarah and Gary have spoken openly about the challenges they have faced following their bereavement, including the difficulties of returning to work while continuing their search for answers and accountability.

Supporting families affected by maternity negligence

Georgina Peckett , director, solicitor and medical negligence expert at Switalskis who is supporting the couple, said: “Sarah and Gary have been through so much and it is incredibly brave of them to share their story like this but also incredibly moving.

“Since Wynter’s death, they have been determined to find out what went wrong and why and to ensure that improvements are made at the Trust to ensure other families do not suffer the tragedy and heartache they have endured. Their determination and dedication is inspirational and they have been instrumental in ensuring the Trust is held to account and that standards of care are improved to prevent other mothers, babies and families being harmed.”

Sarah and Gary are one of a significant number of families who are being supported by Switalskis medical negligence team after experiencing harm or bereavement at the maternity units run by Nottingham University Hospitals Trust, one of the UK’s busiest and largest teaching Trusts which delivers maternity services at City Hospital in Nottingham as well as the Queen’s Medical Centre.

The Trust is currently at the centre of the largest maternity inquiry in the history of the NHS, which is investigating the care of as many as 2,500 families between 2012 and 2025, including stillbirths, neonatal deaths, maternal deaths, and injured babies and mothers.

For families affected by maternity negligence, obtaining answers can be an important step towards understanding what happened and ensuring lessons are learned. Switalskis specialist medical negligence solicitors have extensive experience supporting families through complex maternity claims and investigations with compassion, sensitivity and expertise.

For compassionate advice from our experienced medical negligence team , contact us today. Call 0800 138 0458 or email help@switalskis.com .