Parents distressed over notices saying deceased children due at school

THE parents of 17 children who died at birth or shortly afterwards were left devastated when told their deceased sons and daughters were due to start school.

Health officials in Britain yesterday apologised to the stunned families in Hastings and St Leonards, East Sussex, who received letters about school admission.

The names of the children were wrongly selected by computer and sent to the local education authority.

One mother who nearly died when her baby was stillborn four years ago spoke out when she received the heartbreaking letter.

Julia Mitchell, 28, of Harkness Drive, Hastings, who has two daughters, said: “At first I thought it was a typing error. I thought they were talking about my two-and-a-half-year old daughter.”

Ms Mitchell, who needed 30 blood transfusions, added: “I’ve been putting on a brave face but the loss is always there. I don’t need it thrown in my face that my dead baby should be starting school now,” she said.

The error arose when the Hastings and St Leonards Primary Care Trust (PCT) was asked by East Sussex County Council for the details of all children in the area born between September 1998 and August 1999.

The PCT, which holds data on children in its locality, passed the request, as normal, to a firm called McKesson, which manages the computer system holding the data.

McKesson then sent a list of names to the education department which in turn issued the letters. The list included 17 children who were stillborn or who died later.

Yesterday the PCT said: “Hastings and St Leonards Primary Care Trust is deeply sorry for the distress caused to parents and guardians who received a letter in error from East Sussex County Council’s education department about school admission.

In a separate statement, McKesson said: “McKesson apologises unreservedly to all concerned, especially the families of the children, for the upset and distress that has resulted from this very unfortunate incident.”