Couples aborted healthy babies after tragic diagnosis errors at NHS hospital

Couples say they felt they had no option but to terminate pregnancies after being told their babies had serious genetic conditions - only to learn later this was a mistake. Nottingham University Hospitals Trust apologised after couples were mistakenly told their unborn foetuses had genetic abnormalities which could result in life-affecting disorders or miscarriage. In one case, a couple who'd gone through an abortion were reportedly told, "you could have miscarried anyway" by a doctor informing them of the mistaken diagnosis.

The Trust is currently being investigated as part of the largest maternity inquiry in NHS history. The investigation has highlighted "a well-recognised hazard" of results from the tests used to identify genetic abnormalities in foetal tissue. Now two couples have told they terminated pregnancies after early indications of genetic conditions which would leave their babies with special care needs. Carly Wesson and Carl Everson told the BBC their 12-week scan in January 2019 had indicated their baby had a high chance of having Down's Syndrome.

They took a chorionic villus sampling test (CVS) and were told by the foetal care team at Nottingham's City Hospital that their unborn daughter had a rare genetic condition called Patau's Syndrome. The condition would have put Carly at high risk of miscarriage or stillbirth. They were then told by a foetal care consultant their child would have severe care needs and may not survive the pregnancy or birth. "It's the most impossible choice we've ever had to make," she told the BBC. "We thought the best option was to end the pregnancy because the baby was suffering.".

The couple terminated the pregnancy, naming their daughter Ladybird. Six weeks later, they were asked to a meeting in which they were told the first CVS had been a false positive, and a second showed no chromosomal abnormality on all 50 cells tested. Ms Wesson said that, when asked if their daughter would have survived, the doctor said 'you could have miscarried anyway'. Another couple said they were told in 2017 their baby had an inherited life-limiting illness which resulted in them also being tested to check if they were carriers. As the pregnancy was a day under the legal limit, they had 24 hours to decide whether to keep the baby. Ultimately deciding to end the pregnancy, the couple, who did not want to be identified, discovered following a post-mortem that the foetus did not in fact have the condition.

A third family were told their foetus also showed signs of a genetic condition, but decided to proceed anyway. They said they now have a healthy nine-year-old son. Mirror.co.uk approached Nottingham Teaching Hospitals Trust for comment, but Anthony May, its chief executive told the BBC: "I know that we failed Carly, Carl and their baby, Ladybird, in 2019, and for that I am truly sorry. While words will never change the outcome, I can assure them and other families that we have investigated and learnt from this tragic case.

"Since 2019, we have implemented the findings from this incident, ensuring we have robust processes for checking, communicating and monitoring results.". An investigation into Nottingham Teaching Hospitals Trust, which operates Nottingham's City Hospital and Queen's Medical Centre, is currently underway, with reviews into the care of more than 2,000 families. The Mirror has approached NUHT for further comment.