A hospital told a couple it had lost their miscarried foetus.

Sally Howard-Saunders was treated at Northwick Park Hospital on September 5 after suffering complications 12 weeks into her pregnancy.

Following the loss she and her husband Wayne were told the hospital would arrange for the foetus to be returned to the family.

But last Monday Mrs Howard-Saunders was distressed to receive a call from the hospital's bereavement officer, in which she was told the hospital did not know where the miscarried foetus was.

The baby was referred to as a ‘product of conception’, and the distressed woman was asked what kind of paperwork had been filled out.

After the call, Mr Howard-Saunders spoke to the bereavement officer, who told him the remains were not lost and arrangements for their return were being made.

Mr Howard-Saunders, from Stanmore, said: “We just can’t believe how insensitively this has been handled.

“To go through a miscarriage is incredibly distressing, but to be told our baby had been lost just made things even worse. We didn’t know what to think.”

The couple have held a cremation service but are still shaken by how their case was handled.

Mr Howard-Saunders added: “We look back at it now and just can’t believe what happened. How can they deal with people who have gone through a miscarriage like this?

“It felt like there was no empathy there whatsoever. At first we were just in shock but now we feel there are wider implications. We want to let people know what happened so it doesn’t happen again.

“We have been through a miscarriage before, and the previous bereavement officer was fantastic and really supportive, so we don’t understand what has changed.”

Carole Flowers, director of nursing at North West London Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Northwick Park, said: “I am sorry for any distress caused.

“The maternity team have been working closely with the family to support them and their arrangements during this difficult time.”

The couple say they have been given support from the charity called Saying Goodbye which offers support to couples who have lost a child at any stage of pregnancy.

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