Arabella

Torbay Hospital and North Devon District Hospital (NDDH) have apologised and said improvements have been made since their latest inspections by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in November 2023.

Tia lives in Torquay with her partner Blaze and her two children Dayton, seven, and three-year-old Storm.

She said her pregnancy with second child Arabella was "not easy" and she had been diagnosed with gestational diabetes and polyhydramnios - a condition that occurs during pregnancy when there is too much amniotic fluid.

In the latter stages of her pregnancy, she suffered episodes of reduced movements and said she grew more concerned each time she was checked out and sent home.

It was these issues that led to her being admitted to hospital for an induction at 37 weeks and three days in April 2020.

But the 24-year-old said the induction had been delayed by a handover.

"No-one really bothered with me," Tia said.

"The machine started beeping and that was her heart rate dropping, it was just delayed again.

"No-one rushed, no-one hurried and it was her heartbeat."

A Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) report found issues with how Arabella's heart rate was monitored after Tia had been induced and said when medics realised there was a problem there had been a delay before starting an emergency Caesarean section.

"At the inquest they admitted that if she was born even an hour before she'd still be here perfectly healthy and fine," Tia said.

"I'm angry every single day. I think what makes me angry is this should never have happened.

"It makes me angry when my son asks about his sister and where she is and why isn't she here."

The HSIB report noted local policy guidelines on monitoring the baby's heart rate had not been followed.

The November 2023 CQC inspection found staff were still not consistently following "the trust's policies for 'fresh eyes' checks of cardiotocography (foetal heart rate) monitoring".

A spokesperson for Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust said: "We apologise unreservedly for the distress caused as a result of Arabella's tragic death in May 2020, and once again offer our sincere condolences to her family."

The trust said CQC inspectors had rated its clinical care as good, adding: "Many of the improvements they identified have been put in place including... strengthening the foetal monitoring training delivered to staff."

Tia now plans to raise money in Arabella's name for Kicks Count, a charity which raises awareness of reduced movements in pregnancy.