{"id":19998,"date":"2021-09-22T20:57:35","date_gmt":"2021-09-23T00:57:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=19998"},"modified":"2021-09-22T20:57:35","modified_gmt":"2021-09-23T00:57:35","slug":"hmp-bronzefield-baby-death-mother-was-failed-says-inspectors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2021\/09\/22\/hmp-bronzefield-baby-death-mother-was-failed-says-inspectors\/","title":{"rendered":"HMP Bronzefield baby death: Mother was ‘failed’ says inspectors"},"content":{"rendered":"
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An 18-year-old inmate who lost her baby at Europe’s largest women’s prison should never have given birth alone in her cell, according to a critical report from inspectors.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The baby died in September 2019 at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman report found a series of failings in the teenager’s treatment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The prison said it was “deeply sorry” and that it would implement recommendations from the report.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The investigation, which was commissioned by the Justice Secretary, found the mother, known as Ms A, pressed her cell bell twice and asked for a nurse, but nobody came.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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An hour later, at 21:30 BST, a prison officer shone a torch in her cell and said she did not see anything out of the ordinary.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Ms A told investigators she was on all fours at the time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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‘Harrowing’<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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She described being in constant pain and unable to reach the cell bell.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The teenager then passed out and said when she awoke her daughter had been born but she was not breathing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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A pathologist was unable to determine whether her baby girl was born alive or was stillborn, the report said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“Ms A gave birth alone in her cell overnight without medical assistance,” said the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, Sue McAllister.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“Overall the healthcare offered to her was not equivalent to that she could have expected in the community.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The report found staff working on her block weren’t aware that Ms A was due to give birth imminently, and information sharing between Bronzefield and health agencies was poor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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No-one had a full history of Ms A’s pregnancy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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‘Fearful of engaging’<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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The ombudsman set out a raft of recommendations for all the agencies involved, including the prison and Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which dealt with Ms A during her pregnancy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Ms A, who was in prison for the first time on a robbery charge, had a troubled childhood, the report stated.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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She had refused to engage with most ante-natal care and feared her baby would be taken away.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Ms McAllister said: “We consider that all pregnancies in prison should be treated as high risk.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“There is likely to be a higher percentage of ‘avoidant’ mothers who have experienced trauma and who are fearful of engaging with maternity care.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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