Heartbroken Leeds dad speaks out against hospital after baby Freyja's death

Earlier this week, Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced an independent inquiry into maternity services at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust following a years-long campaign from grieving families.

Damon Green, from Leeds, joined the campaign earlier this year after the death of his baby daughter Freyja.

Freyja died in 2019 aged just five days old after sustaining serious neck and spinal injuries during her delivery.

Her mother, Caroline Green, had had an uneventful pregnancy, but during her labour at St James’ Hospital, Freyja had gone into distress after being in a difficult position.

A junior doctor attempted to move Freyja and try a forceps delivery, but after two failed attempts, a senior colleague had to step in.

Baby Freyja was delivered needing resuscitation, but tests revealed she had suffered catastrophic injuries during the failed delivery attempts.

Describing the moment Freyja was born, Mr Green said: “There were no cries. No sounds. All you could hear was beeping machines and hushed whispers.

“A couple of hours went past, and then we were told she had a fracture on her neck. She wasn’t breathing on her own and needed to be moved to LGI’s specialist unit.

“She had more tests, and on the third day we sat down with a consultant who informed us that her spine had been fractured in three separate places, and that her spinal cord had been severed.

“He said that she would never walk or talk, or breathe on her own. She’d never have a life and would be in constant care. He said ‘I think we should remove care,’ and he was callous and cold about it.”

The parents were able to hold Freyja before her life support was removed, and she died in her mother’s arms on March 15.

Mr Green said they were offered very little bereavement support from the Trust, and that the couple were handed a booklet on discharge which said ‘Congratulations on the birth of your new baby.’

He also alleged that at baby Freyja’s inquest, hospital notes which had originally been thought to have been lost had been subsequently changed by an obstetrician.

Mr Green said: “We were told that we were a one in a million statistic, that our situation was unique.

“But cut forward to this January, the investigation came out and we realised we weren’t unique.

“When we met Wes Streeting, we said that all families had been told the same thing, that lessons would be learnt. They haven’t. It’s a terrible thing to be dealing with.”

Dr Magnus Harrison, Chief Medical Officer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We are deeply sorry for the tragic loss of baby Freyja, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to her family.

“We have met with Freyja’s family and recognise that our communication during their care was not adequate. Since then, we have improved communication with families.

“We sincerely apologise that Freyja’s family did not receive appropriate bereavement support. We understand the lasting impact this has had, and we are committed to doing better. Following Freyja’s family's feedback when we met, we implemented a different process for how our bereavement midwives support families after birth.”

It comes as the chief executive of England’s hospital regulator stepped down following the announcement of the inquiry at the NHS trus whicht he led for a decade.

Sir Julian Hartley raised concerns that his position at the Care Quality Commission “may undermine trust and confidence” in the regulator.