Original Coverage & Source Attribution: www.telegraph.co.uk
Mr Russell said: “The trust left us in an appalling position.
“Not only were they found to have neglected our care and caused the death of our daughter, but in the months and years following, we uncovered that members of staff had tried to cover it up.
“Losing your daughter is one thing, but then to find that there was a cavalcade of lies was almost as hard as losing Poppy.”
The couple have launched Poppy’s Promise to honour their daughter. The initiative is based on four core principles: compassion, acknowledgement, respect and empowerment.
Mrs Russell told the BBC: “We could have very easily been consumed by hate and anger and rage at what happened – and those feelings are still there. But if no change comes from what happened to Poppy, then what’s the point?”
In 2023, following the inquest, the trust said it recognised there were “failings in the care we provided and we are truly sorry”.
The following year, the couple had a meeting with the trust to discuss their daughter and decided to honour her. As a result, they came up with the idea of the foundation.
Mrs Russell said: “It’s seeing the person, not the diagnosis. It’s someone coming into a room holding your hand, someone acknowledging the fact that this is difficult for you.”
At the time of Poppy’s death, the trust was in the middle of a large maternity inquiry.
The review found that 201 babies and nine mothers might have survived with better care.
As part of its improvement programme, the trust is rolling out Poppy’s Promise to all 8,000 staff.
Mr and Mrs Russell are hoping it will spread across departments and the rest of the country.
Mrs Russell added: “I’d love this to be adopted by medical schools and universities, so that students can take this into their careers.
“I’d love medical environments to be able to take this on in every sense of the word. I want staff to feel more comfortable. I want staff to feel able to give the compassionate care that they come to work to do.
“No one goes into healthcare to give bad care, and I want patients to feel safer and better because of it.”
