Case brought against Hospital Trust over stillborn baby
A mother who gave birth to a stillborn baby is to take legal action against a hospital trust after discovering that the body had been kept in a jar for four years.
Jo-Ann Burrows was left ‘disgusted’ at the news, believing that the body of the baby boy had been cremated years earlier. She said, “This experience has left me suicidal, if it wasn’t for my friends and family I wouldn’t be here.”
After giving birth to the stillborn baby Ms Burrows gave her consent for the body to be cremated to the Princess Anne Maternity Hospital in Southampton. She has since waited four years for the funeral papers and ashes.
However, her solicitor informed her that the hospital still had the baby and she is now filing a medical negligence case against Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust.
A trust spokesperson said, “Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust confirms that legal proceedings have been brought against it by Ms Jo-Ann Burrows. The matter currently remains subject to formal legal proceedings and the trust is not in a position to comment any further at this stage.”
Updated on 6/4/2008