Heartbreaking pictures show a couple cradling their stillborn daughter who died after a midwife told her mother to go home and take paracetamol despite her excruciating pain

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Heartbreaking pictures show a shattered couple hugging their stillborn baby - just hours after her birth was bungled by errors in her treatment.

Angela Owens, from Warrington, Cheshire, had been rushed into Warrington Hospital after developing severe pains on a shopping trip.

But despite Mrs Owens raising concerns about her unborn baby girl's welfare, a midwife who examined her recommended she be discharged.

The mother-of-two refused to leave and was moved to a birthing pool to await labour - only for tests to subsequently reveal the child had no heart beat. She believes that her baby might have survived if more action had been taken sooner. 

The infant - named Ella - was tragically stillborn, leaving Angela Owens and partner Paul Humphreys, 31, with a few hours to build memories of the youngster in photos

Mrs Owens - whose brother is a GP - was due to be induced for labour on 22 December 2013 after being six days overdue with Ella

The infant - named Ella - was tragically stillborn, leaving Mrs Owens and partner Paul Humphreys, 31, with a few hours to build memories of the youngster in photos. 

Today it emerged Mrs Owens had been awarded an undisclosed sum of damages from Warrington Hospital following the tragedy shortly before Christmas 2013.

In a statement she said: 'I put my complete trust in the staff at Warrington Hospital to provide me and Ella with the care we needed but I feel like we were badly let down.

'I have been fighting for Ella ever since and hope that by taking legal action and bringing this to the attention of the public, that the Trust will ensure it makes changes to maternity services.

'Nothing will change what happened to our family but hopefully problems have been identified and rectified to prevent any other families going through the heartache we have in the last few years.'

Ella's death was one of ten at the hospital which prompted an investigation by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists which found that the unit was short-staffed, deaths were avoidable and there was often a breakdown in communication. 

Mrs Owens - whose brother is a GP - was due to be induced for labour on 22 December 2013 after being six days overdue with Ella.

Paul Humphreys is shown kissing and cuddling Ella

But while out Christmas shopping with her partner on December 21 she felt a very severe and sudden pain - nothing like the contractions she had with her first child.

She attended Warrington Hospital immediately but on arrival a midwife examined her and said she could be discharged so she should go home and rest.

She refused to go home and was taken to a room where she asked for pain relief but was told by the midwife that it was too early for gas and air who then went to get two co-codamol painkilling tablets.

Mrs Owens - who has two other daughters - said: 'I knew that something wasn't right because I didn't feel like it had with my previous pregnancy.

'We waited for the midwife and when she came and examined me she said I was only two centimetres dilated and that I should go home and take some paracetamol. She told me to get in the pool to relive the pain so I did.

'After a while I was in excruciating pain so I pulled the emergency cord and demanded she get me out. She started drying me down with a towel but I told her to just make sure my baby was ok.

'She checked but she couldn't find a heartbeat. I was just in shock. They hadn't listened to me at all and then this had happened. If I had been put on a monitor straight away it would have been different.'

Today it emerged Mrs Owens had been awarded an undisclosed sum of damages from Warrington Hospital following the tragedy shortly before Christmas 2013

Ella was stillborn just after 11pm on 21 December 2013, with tests showing her mother had a placental abruption

'I can't believe that Ella was alive on arrival at the hospital and was alive in the birthing pool and then she was gone. There could have been a different outcome if I was checked at the right times.'

Ella was stillborn just after 11pm on 21 December 2013. Tests showed her mother had a placental abruption.

Medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell investigated Mrs Owens received from the Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Ayse Ince, a specialist medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell's Manchester office, said: 'The last two-and-a-half years have been very difficult for Angela and her family. The loss of Ella left them devastated and they continue to have concerns about the way Angela was treated when she arrived at Warrington Hospital.

'Of course, the settlement we have secured from the Trust will not change these tragic circumstances for Angela and her family but we hope that the Trust has learned from this tragedy and has taken the necessary steps to ensure maternity care at Warrington Hospital is improved.'

The NHS denied liability but said the midwife who assessed Mrs Owens had since been retrained following recommendations made in a midwifery report. They have been contacted for comment.

But in an earlier statement Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: 'There has been both an internal and independent investigation into this matter and the findings have been shared with the family at every opportunity. We want to again express our sincere condolences to them.'