A NHS trust has paid out a five-figure compensation settlement to a Worcestershire couple whose son was stillborn following a series of “basic errors” in ante-natal care.

Lawyers acting on behalf of Katie and Robert Page, of Droitwich, said they received the undisclosed out-of-court payment after Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust accepted liability over the death of their son Harry.

Mr and Mrs Page have also received an apology from Worcestershire Royal Hospital, where Harry was delivered stillborn on October 9, 2009.

Despite being identified as a ‘high risk pregnancy,’ being 10 days overdue and complaining of a reduction in her baby’s movements, Mrs Page’s induction of labour was postponed for more than two days because the hospital was unable to cope with its workload. Mr Page finally drove her to the hospital at about 7pm on October 8, but it took almost three hours to admit her to the labour ward and more than four hours before a midwife checked her baby’s heart.

Just before midnight, a doctor was called and ultrasound scans confirmed the baby had died in the womb.

Medical negligence expert Guy Forster, who represented the couple, said mistakes in Mrs Page’s care, including a decision to postpone the induction of labour, mirrored other cases of poor maternity care at the hospital.

Mr Forster, of Irwin Mitchell Solicitors, said: “To lose a baby is upsetting enough, but to discover that were it not for entirely avoidable basic errors Harry would have survived has been very difficult for Katie and Robert to cope with.

"Perhaps more worrying still is that there were not only errors by individuals, but deep-rooted system failures.”

In a statement, Helen Blanchard, director of nursing and midwifery for the trust, said: “Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust would like to offer their sincere apologies once again to the family.

"The trust has accepted responsibility in this tragic case.   “Processes within maternity services have been extensively reviewed. We now have a dedicated triage area with dedicated staff.

 “The trust is committed to maintaining the highest standards of care possible.”