'I was blamed for my baby's death now NHS needs to change'
Neil and Katie Russell are collaborating with the Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust to improve maternity care following the preventable death of their daughter, Poppy, in 2021. The couple aims to foster compassionate care within the system after an inquest revealed that the trust had initially blamed the mother for the tragedy.
Why it matters
This case highlights systemic failures in NHS maternity care and the importance of accountability and patient-centered reform in preventing future medical negligence.
Image source, Family handout Image caption, Neil and Katie Russell are working with the hospital where their daughter died
When Poppy Russell died shortly after birth, her parents were left bereft.
What followed made matters harder to bear - her mother was blamed for the death.
An inquest would later conclude that Poppy's death was preventable.
But instead of walking away from the trust that had failed them, Neil and Katie Russell are now working with it to bring compassionate care back into the NHS.
"We could have very easily been consumed by hate and anger and rage at what happened – and those feelings are still there," said Katie.
"But if no change comes from what happened to Poppy, then what's the point?"
Poppy Russell died in April 2021 at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.
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