Eight East Kent stillbirths may have been avoided with better care, review finds

East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust has apologised after an independent review found that eight babies who were stillborn may have survived if maternity care had been better.

The stillbirths occurred between June 2025 and March 2026 at hospitals run by the trust, which includes William Harvey Hospital in Ashford and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate. All involved babies born after 34 weeks of pregnancy.

The trust commissioned an independent review of 11 cases after enhanced safety monitoring identified an increase in stillbirths. Four cases were found to have care failings that were likely to have affected the outcome, while problems in another four may have contributed to the babies’ deaths.

Reviewers identified repeated and systemic weaknesses in the management of high-risk pregnancies, foetal monitoring, maternity triage, escalation and organisational learning. Concerns were also raised about failures to recognise growth problems and make suitable interpreter services available.

Acting chief executive Dr Des Holden said the trust had “failed families” and apologised to the women, relatives and communities affected. He said the organisation would implement the review’s recommendations in full.

The trust plans to improve continuity of care for women with high-risk pregnancies, strengthen maternity triage, increase staff training and provide more translated information and access to interpreters. It is also working with the national Maternity and Neonatal Intensive Support Team.

However, the findings have caused further alarm because seven additional term stillbirths were recorded after the period covered by the review. Four occurred between April and July 2026, followed by another three in August. A separate review into those deaths has been commissioned.

East Kent’s maternity services have already been subject to extensive scrutiny. The 2022 Kirkup investigation concluded that 45 babies might have survived with better care between 2009 and 2020.

Helen Gittos, whose daughter Harriett died after suffering a brain injury at the Margate hospital in 2014, said families were experiencing a mixture of disbelief and anger at seeing serious failings identified again.

The latest findings will intensify pressure on the trust to demonstrate that its promised changes are producing safer care, rather than allowing longstanding maternity risks to continue through another cycle of investigation and apology.

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