Stillborn baby 'left in Sainsbury's carrier bag'

An urgent investigation is underway after the body of a stillborn baby was apparently left in a plastic bag next to his parents in hospital.

Mother-of-four Lisa Bundock, 33, was 19 weeks pregnant when she suffered a miscarriage at home in Brighton, East Sussex, on August 29.

Her husband, Michael Bundock, said the baby boy, named Joe, was wrapped in a blanket in a Sainsbury's carrier bag at their home before they were taken by ambulance to the Royal Sussex County Hospital for his wife to receive treatment.

When they got to accident and emergency, the foetus was left in the bag on a shelf next to Mrs Bundock for two hours and then left for a further period on a window sill when transferred to a ward, he added.

Full-time carer Mr Bundock, 35, said: "It was about four-and-a-half hours before Joe was taken to a more dignified place. He wasn't treated like a baby at all, more like a piece of meat.

"At the time both my wife and I were deeply distressed and upset so we didn't raise our concerns. It was difficult for us to say, 'We want this, we want that' because we were so shocked. My main concern was for Lisa who had lost an awful lot of blood.

"I did ask for Lisa to be transferred upstairs but I was told they were short staffed and busy."

Joe was later brought to them in a Moses basket and was buried on Thursday but Mr Bundock said the experience had shaken his faith in the health service.

In a statement, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the Royal Sussex County Hospital, apologised to the couple for their distress and pledged an inquiry.

It said: "We fully understand the parents' distress and apologise on behalf of the trust. We are urgently looking into the circumstances so that we can give them a full account of what happened as soon as possible."

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