Grieving family says hospital failed mum who died in childbirth

The devastated family of a woman who died shortly after giving birth have said she was failed by the hospital where she had her baby.

Jess Hodgkinson, 26, went into cardiac arrest after her daughter Phoebe was delivered by Caesarean section at Chesterfield Royal Hospital in 2021.

Her loved ones said they believed her death could have been prevented had medics acted differently.

Hospital bosses offered “sincere and heartfelt condolences” to her family.

An inquest heard that on 14 May 2021 Ms Hodgkinson, from Chesterfield, died from a blood clot in her lung.

In January, Derbyshire assistant coroner Matthew Kewley found there had been a failure to ensure she was given the blood-thinning medication she needed.

He identified concerns about Ms Hodgkinson’s care which prompted him to write a prevention of future deaths report, which he sent to Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Trust.

Ms Hodgkinson’s pregnancy was deemed “high risk” because she had severe hypertension and a rare disorder, Klippel-Trenaunay Syndrome (KTS), which increased her risk of suffering blood clots and deep vein thrombosis.

In April 2021, a consultant in Chesterfield gave her anti-coagulant medication to reduce the risk of clotting and said she should continue to receive it until the birth.

However, that instruction was not passed on to staff at a hospital in Sheffield when she was admitted later that month.

She was therefore discharged back into Chesterfield Royal’s care without the drug.

The coroner concluded it was “more likely than not” she would not have suffered the fatal blood clot had she continued on the medication.

He raised concerned about the “quality and adequacy” of information sent to medics in Sheffield and found there was no process in place to find out what had happened once she returned to Chesterfield.

Staff there were unaware of KTS and its implications for pregnancy, the coroner said.

Ms Hodgkinson’s brother Grant Finney, 28, said: “Jess was failed because communicating information about patients’ medication should be standard stuff but it did not happen in Jess’s case.

“Her pregnancy had been tough, it wasn’t plain sailing and she had pre-eclampsia but that should have meant they were extra careful with her care.

“Phoebe was so premature we were worried when Jess went into hospital but we honestly never thought anything would happen to her. Our concerns were about Phoebe.

“We were devastated when Jess died.”

Ms Hodgkinson’s partner Jack Knowles, 26, who is looking after two-year-old Phoebe with the help of family, said: “It happened so fast. Phoebe was born and I remember Jess asking, ‘Is she OK?’ The next thing, she was saying she couldn’t breathe. Those were her last words.

“My life changed for ever. I was saying goodbye to the person I thought I’d spend the rest of my life with, while our daughter lay next-door in an incubator.

“We’re all having to live without Jess because of the hospital’s failings.”

The family has instructed solicitors to investigate Ms Hodgkinson’s care.

In a letter to the coroner, seen by the BBC, Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Trust’s chief executive officer, Dr Hal Spencer, outlined 15 actions and changes to policies, training and communication in response the report.

He said the trust offered its “sincere and heartfelt condolences” to Ms Hodgkinson’s family.

“We recognise and respect the findings from the coroner and have supported all enquiries throughout proceedings.

“We have responded to the coroner within the time frame and, in line with our normal process, will be writing to Jess’s family.”

Mr Finney said: “We are pleased they are making changes because this may prevent other families suffering the huge toll we have.

“But it is bittersweet. It is a very reactive response and if they had done these things during Jess’s pregnancy the outcome would very probably have been different

“We don’t blame the team on the night who tried to save her. They did all they could but we, as a family, still want people to know that Jess was failed.”

He added: “She wasn’t just my sister, she was my best friend. She was wonderful. She was so caring and maternal.

“All she ever wanted was to be a mum and she was so excited about being pregnant.

“She’s gone but Phoebe is her legacy – she’s such a brilliant little girl.

“We talk to her about Jess all the time and tell her all the brilliant stories about her.

“She knows who mummy is and that she is in the sky.”

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