'Preventable' deaths of twin babies leave grieving mother devastated

Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro
-Credit: (Image: Copyright Unknown)


A grieving mother who lost her twin sons a month apart believes their deaths could have been prevented, and has been left frightened and scarred by Cornwall's main hospital. She says her life has been "fundamentally changed" forever by the tragedy.

Rachel Preston has expressed grave concerns about the treatment and care received by her, her partner Dean Harvey and their unborn children at Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske, Truro, in the days leading up to their births in 2021. Doctors failed to diagnose her with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), a rare condition where there is disproportionate blood supply between foetuses.

The couple were expecting monochorionic twins - a rare type of twin pregnancy which means the babies share a single placenta but have their own amniotic sacks. An inquest is being held this week into the death of twin Kam Laurence Harvey, at the age of three weeks and five days.

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As twin Kim was stillborn, the coroner does not have the power to investigate his death. It is deemed there has to have been an independent life before the coroner has jurisdiction to investigate.

Day one of the inquest held at Cornwall's Coroner's Court in Truro today (Monday, September 9) heard how Ms Preston attended the emergency department at the Treliske hospital while 28 weeks pregnant in 2021 suffering from significant pain which she at one point described as being a 10 out of 10.

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She attended on November 6 and again from November 7 to 8 complaining of a the pain that "came in waves" and had been getting progressively worse since November 3. During her admissions she felt her symptoms were overlooked and not taken seriously.

On both occasions her partner was not permitted in the hospital with her due to Covid regulations, adding to her distress. She was never seen by an obstetrician despite being pregnant and with a high risk pregnancy.

After being discharged from the hospital with a diagnosis of muscular pain, Ms Preston woke the following morning to bleeding and returned to the hospital where she was told that twin Kim had sadly passed away and Kam was in distress. She was told there were risks for Kam whether he was delivered or not. It was decided he would be delivered by emergency C-section as she wanted to give him "the best chance of life".

Kam was born first and was resuscitated and then transferred to the neonatal unit. Kim was stillborn and taken to his parents' to hold and spend time with. The following morning Kam's condition deteriorated and he was transferred to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth on November 10. Sadly he died on December 12.

In a statement about her concerns ahead of the inquest, Ms Preston said she was "desperate for answers" and that she felt "our whole family were incredibly let down". She said: "I am finding it very difficult to move on or past that."

She felt her voice was not heard during her hospital admissions. She felt a "lack of compassion" and that her pain was not taken seriously, nor was the fact her pregnancy was high risk. Her experience has left her unable to trust any medical professionals and even considering leaving Cornwall due to it being the only emergency hospital serving the county.

An independent review of her care was carried out at the request of the coroner following Kam's death. It found that at a minimum a discussion with an obstetrician should have occurred before her being discharged on the initial hospital visit during November 6.. It ruled that it was "not appropriate" to have sent her home without it and that it was "not appreciated" that she had a high-risk monochorionic diamniotic (MCDA) pregnancy.

Speaking of her care at the hospital, she said following the death of their sons that she and her partner received a letter from the hospital apologising that staff had "failed" to diagnose twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) - a syndrome which can usually be treated in-utero.

"The hospital then completed an investigation into my care and we received the draft report in February 2022," she said. "It stated that there were failures in the care I received on the 7 and 8 November 2021 and that, had I been provided with appropriate care, my children would likely be alive. I cannot put into words how painful that is."

Kam's post-mortem examination found no abnormalities which she said "reinforced" her belief that "[her] children should be here". She added: "I am completely and utterly devastated and struggle significantly with the fact that the outcome could have been very different. It has caused me to question everything about my life, my home, my career and my relationships and most of the time I feel completely Isolated in dealing with the grief.

"It has fundamentally altered my most important personal relationships, my professional identity, my memory and my personality. I miss my sons immensely."

The three-day inquest, being heard by senior coroner for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Andrew Cox, continues and a conclusion is expected to be made on Wednesday (September 11).

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