Bereaved West Midlands dad whose son was stillborn asks for urgent action at under-fire hospital trust

A bereaved dad whose son was stillborn at a West Midlands hospital is calling for urgent action against an under-fire NHS trust.

Tom Hender has written to a number of West Midlands MPs whose constituents are served by Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust (SWBH) in the wake of a damning review of its maternity services.

Tom and wife Ewa’s son Aubrey was stillborn at City Hospital in 2022 and they believe the care received failed him and that their concerns weren’t listened to.

They added that complaints and concerns raised during a perinatal mortality review in 2022 were not acknowledged.

After four years, the couple were successful in getting a repeat review in April 2026 and said this acknowledged some of their questions and concerns regarding elements of the care.

City Hospital was replaced by the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital, which opened in Smethwick in late 2024.

SWBH was one of 14 in the country investigated in Baroness Amos’s final report of the Independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation.

The report said the investigation painted a “deeply concerning” picture with families and staff experiencing discrimination and the neonatal mortality rate exceeding that at comparable trusts by five per cent.

SWBH has apologised to families affected and said actions are being carried out to rebuild trust.

But in his letter to MPs Tom said he did not believe the trust was capable of turning things around and urged bosses to take action to prevent further deaths.

The letter said: “A DHSC [Department of Health and Social Care]-commissioned report has identified that they are concerned about the safety of your constituents, in a hospital caring for them.

“Please, do not wait for harm to be done to your constituents before taking action on this issue – please, please demand action now – while further harm can be avoided, and lives saved.

“I have no doubt that the trust will announce various actions that it is taking to address the findings. However I ask you to remember that this maternity unit was already trying to turn itself around.

“It is consistently the worst-performing 4,000+ birth trust on MBRRACE [perinatal mortality] figures, in its eight-year history.

“The trust does not appear capable of addressing the situation, and there is a real prospect of further avoidable harm, including deaths, occurring today.

“This trust cannot wait six months for the Secretary of State’s Taskforce to formulate a plan.

“The Amos review has highlighted a current and ongoing concern for the safety of your most vulnerable constituents.”

In an open letter, trust chief executive Diane Wake said a number of changes have been instigated including hiring a new director of midwifery and head of midwifery as well as 25 additional midwives.

She said: “We are sorry to the women, babies and families whose experiences of our maternity and neonatal services did not meet the standards they have the right to expect.

“The report highlights areas where our care fell short, and we recognise the lasting and profound impact this has had on those affected.”

“While the move to our new hospital has improved the physical environment for women and families, we recognise that buildings alone do not change culture.

“The report is clear that deeper cultural and organisational issues must be addressed, and we accept that responsibility.”