'It's adding insult to injury': Father still waiting for answers after baby's death

A grieving father whose newborn daughter died after being born at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital says a damning inspection report into maternity services has brought back painful memories and deepened concerns about patient safety.

Mohammed Hameed’s daughter Leyan died in February last year, eight days after she was born at the hospital.

He believes there were multiple failures in her care during both treatment and delivery, and says the family is still waiting for answers more than a year on.

“It changes your life,” Mohammed told STV News. “The loss of a child is very difficult for any parent and coming to terms with that has been difficult.

“The whole review process has made it even worse. The lack of accountability and the poor governance, it makes it hard and we wouldn’t wish it upon our worst enemy.”

Mohammed was speaking after a report published by Healthcare Improvement Scotland found staffing pressures at one of Scotland’s busiest maternity units led to delays in care, including lengthy waits for induction.

Inspectors also heard staff describe working conditions as unsafe or dangerous at times.

“I can’t say I’m shocked (by the report), a lot of it brought back memories and highlighted some of the issues that we actually had,” said Mohammed.

“From a healthcare professional point of view as well, I am concerned for the welfare of the public, for the users of these services, it is concerning.”

The inspection found some patients experienced delays at various stages of their care, from initial assessment through to admission to the labour ward, increasing risks to mothers and babies.

On the day inspectors visited the hospital in January, women waiting to be induced faced delays of around 21 hours. Over the previous six months, one patient waited more than 100 hours – almost eight days.

The report also highlighted concerns about the time taken to learn from serious incidents, with some reviews overdue by as much as two years.

Mohammed said the process of seeking answers following his daughter’s death has been exhausting.

“It’s been upsetting, frustrating (waiting for answers), it’s been a painful process. A year and four months on, we still haven’t had answers. We were supposed to have a SAER meeting back in February this year, so a year after the incident.

“Unfortunately that did not happen. We have for the past four months tried to get answers from them, only to be told last week that they have now pushed it to a different department, it just feels like we’re being passed from pillar to post.

“It’s adding insult to injury, it’s been a tough time for us.”

The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital delivers almost 5,000 babies every year. While inspectors identified examples of good practice, the hospital has been ordered to make 26 improvements.

Concerns were also raised about ward cleanliness and infection control, including emergency trolleys containing expired equipment and medication, staff disposing of urine into a sink because of a broken waste disposal unit, and blood-contaminated sharps bins.

Melissa Dowdeswell, director of nursing and integrated care at Healthcare Improvement Scotland, said: “It’s really important that those investigations are done and in a timely fashion to make sure that the learning comes through to the organisation and to the staff and for the families that are affected.”

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has apologised to women who experienced delays to their care and said around 70% of the actions identified in the report have already been completed, with remaining work “progressing at pace”.

Mohammed is among a group of bereaved families represented by lawyer Aamer Anwar, who are calling on First Minister John Swinney and health secretary Angela Constance to meet directly with affected families to discuss improvements to maternity care across Scotland.

In a statement, the families said they had serious concerns about the transparency of Significant Adverse Event Reviews (SAERs), arguing that greater independent scrutiny and national learning are needed to prevent future harm.

Constance said: “The inspectorate’s reports are of course independent and they provide independent oversight to the action that must now be fulfilled.

“I will make a statement in parliament with regards to the commitment that my government has made, and that is for an independent review of maternity services.”

Dr Mary Ross-Davie, NHSGGC’s director of midwifery, said: “We continue to offer our deepest condolences to the family of baby Leyan Hameed.

“We know the loss of a child is devastating and we remain committed to helping the family understand what has happened.

“A Significant Adverse Event Review (SAER) has completed, and it remains our intention to meet with the family to answer the questions they have and offer our ongoing support.”