Home / Health / East Kent NHS Fails 8 Babies: Trust Apologizes
East Kent NHS Fails 8 Babies: Trust Apologizes
30 Sep
Summary
- Eight babies might have survived with better maternity care.
- Systemic failures include managing high-risk pregnancies.
- Seven additional stillbirths occurred since the review.
An NHS trust has issued an apology following an independent review that concluded eight babies might have survived had they received improved maternity care. The East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust acknowledged it has "failed families" due to systemic issues.
The review, ordered by the trust, identified critical failures in managing high-risk pregnancies, providing adequate triage, recognizing fetal growth issues, and effectively utilizing interpreter services. These issues contributed to eight stillbirths occurring between June 2025 and March 2026.
Alarmingly, seven more stillbirths have been recorded since the review's findings were published, including three in the past month, triggering a further investigation. All these stillbirths happened after 34 weeks of gestation.
This situation echoes a similar report from three years prior, the Kirkup report, which found that 45 babies might have survived at the trust's hospitals with better care. The trust operates the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford and the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate.
