Our son, baby Theo, was tragically stillborn at 36 weeks. This heart-breaking event was not due to natural causes but a result of gross negligence and breach of duty by a midwife who failed to provide the necessary care and attention our son needed during his most critical hours. Despite our desperate pleas for help, she refused to treat him because she "hadn't had a break and didn't want to burden the hospital". She had over 24 hours to save his life but chose not to act. Worse still, this gross misconduct wasn't even recorded in my medical records. 

She advised me to stay at home even though I told her we'd been regularly monitored and had a picture of the fluid we had lost, she told us not to be silly to stay at home and monitor for 24 hours and put a pad on. She told me if I was to come to the hospital they would refuse to see me and turn me away... Medway Maritime Hospital at the time didn't record their calls and she didn't write anything on my medical records. 

The hospital have said that although there would have been time to save our son (over 24 hours) and that they would have delivered him by an emergency C-section and he likely would have been here alive today! 

A beautiful little boy has lost his life, a family broken forever and the midwife gets to continue working with not so much as a warning! Please sign to help prevent this woman from  having the opportunity to harm another baby and destroy another family, potentially saving another life. 

If it's proven by an investigation and post mortem how can a professional be allowed to continue to work, it's dangerous! Someone taking a life is a  criminal offence, she took a life all because she hadn't had a break and didn't want to burden a place that is there to save lives and supposed to be a place of safety.

The subsequent investigation into her actions revealed multiple failures on her part - all of which have been admitted by the hospital authorities themselves. Yet shockingly, no disciplinary action has been taken against her by the hospital administration. To view the entire course of events please see here: Theo's Foundation Website registered Charity in England and Wales 1209294

This is not just about us or baby Theo; it's about every parent who entrusts their child's life in the hands of healthcare professionals. It's about ensuring that such negligence does not go unpunished and that measures are put in place so that no other family has to endure what we have gone through.

We implore you all - as parents, as families, as individuals who believe in justice - please join us in demanding accountability from this midwife and any other healthcare professional that causes a preventable death or serious injury.

Let us ensure that baby Theo’s tragic passing serves as a catalyst for change within our healthcare system – where patient safety is prioritized over staff convenience and where accountability isn’t just an empty promise but an enforced practice.

According to a report from the Sands and Tommy's Joint Policy Unit, reviews of individual deaths show that

• At least 800 babies each year die when care following 
  national guidelines could, or would have saved their lives. This is likely to be an underestimate given that these reviews are conducted by the hospital responsible for the baby’s care.
• When we asked our Hospital how much this happens they explained they deal with at least 120 families per YEAR. That is just one hospital! 
• More mothers are dying during or soon after pregnancy than at any time in the last 20 years.
• Data from MBRRACE shows that the maternal death rate increased to 13.41 per 100,000 in 2020-22, a higher rate than at any time since 2003-05.

The figures also show that proportionally -

• Three times as many Black women and twice as many Asian women die than White women. Even when the effect of Covid-19 is stripped out, maternal deaths have increased at an alarming rate. 
• More than 500 babies per year sustain a brain injury at birth. 
  Data from MNSI shows that over 500 babies per year sustain brain injuries at birth, but this data excludes babies born below 37 weeks gestation and does not bother to measure how many of these injuries were avoidable. 
• Mums are suffering life-changing physical and psychological birth trauma. Despite a parliamentary inquiry on the subject, it is still unclear how many women suffer birth trauma and how much birth trauma is avoidable – again, because the NHS does not measure it. As an indication of the scale of the problem, a survey by Mumsnet found that 53% of women suffer physical trauma and 71% of women suffer psychological or emotional trauma at birth.
•  Two thirds of maternity units do not meet basic standards for safety.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated two-thirds of maternity units ‘Inadequate’ or ‘Requires Improvement’ for safety, and half ‘Inadequate’ or ‘Requires Improvement’ overall. These ratings show that failings in maternity care are truly system-wide. The even more alarming reality is that the CQC is itself failing, and continues to rate units where multiple babies have been killed by negligence as ‘Outstanding’. 

• The cost of harm in maternity care rose to £4.2 billion in 2022/23.
  Figures from NHS Resolution show the projected cost of harm in maternity care for 2022/23 is £4.2 billion, 63% of the total NHS compensation bill. This money is awarded to families after many years of desperate struggle to fight for justice, pay for care needs and lost earnings, and as the harm they experienced is entirely avoidable with safe care, this financial cost to our country is too. 

We are calling for a National Maternity Inquiry to demand Safer Maternity Practices, to demand a Higher level of care. To ensure that when negligence happens, and there is a failure to follow correct policies, procedures and standards that action is taken, and quickly.

Many families who have experienced a loss due to poor practice have had to fight for many years to get even the slightest bit of justice and many have felt as though the hospital haven't cared about the lives they failed to protect, as though this is such a common occurrence. The biggest problem with that level of thinking is that we were all babies once - if we hadn't been cared for in the way that we should have been, we wouldn't be here today and that if a little life means that little then nobody's life truly matters.

There needs to be an overhaul of the entire system, new legislation put into place that protects families and healthcare staff, but also promises to deliver action and justice when it is required. 

Please sign this petition today – demand justice and change for baby Theo and for all precious lives! Please send this to your local MP's and ask them to back this Inquiry so that we can create a healthcare system that promises to deliver lives safely where possible. 

Please if you can, also share via email and to your Social Media Platforms such as: Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok.

If you can help raise awareness by speaking to people you know including family, friends, neighbours and colleagues. 

One preventable death a year is too many yet these alarming headlines and horrifying statistics show this is a national problem and urgent action MUST be taken to ensure that this cannot continue to happen. 

We are proud to have set up Theo's Foundation, a pregnancy, baby, infant and child loss charity. We have many goals that we wish to achieve in helping others and creating a legacy for Theo, more details can be found on our Social Media Platforms and also on our GoFund Me page https://gofund.me/b2d535f4 we are proud members of The Baby Loss Awareness Alliance and The Maternity Safety Alliance. Creating a stampede of change...because EVERY life is Precious! 

Every signature, every share, every donation is massively appreciated by our family, please help where you can to not only help get Justice for Theo but Justice and support for all! Thank you so much in advance.