THE parents of baby Callum Ball have spoken of their determination to ensure their son’s death leads to improvements in maternity care after an inquest concluded that neglect at Warrington Hospital contributed to his death.
Gemma and Nick Ball attended the two-day inquest into the death of their son, who was born at Warrington Hospital on April 28, 2025 and died the following day at Liverpool Women’s Hospital. Callum was just one day old.
The inquest, held at Cheshire Coroner’s Court in Warrington on October 1 and 2, examined the circumstances surrounding his birth and subsequent death.
Coroner Victoria Davies concluded that Callum died from the combined effects of a traumatic injury sustained during delivery and a hypoxic brain injury contributed to by a delay in his delivery.
She also concluded that his death was contributed to by neglect.
According to the findings reported following the hearing, the coroner identified a failure to make the necessary decisions about Callum’s birth and a breakdown in communication between medical staff.
The coroner described the lack of decision-making surrounding Callum’s birth as a “gross failure”.
For Gemma and Nick, the conclusion brings answers after 18 months of trying to understand what happened to their baby boy.
Speaking after the hearing, they said:“We now have the answers that we have been waiting for.”
They added that the conclusion vindicated their belief that Callum had been failed on the day of his birth.
The couple said they had experienced “anger, trauma and heartache” following the death of their son, after previously describing the pregnancy as the final piece in a long and painful battle with infertility.
They had been overjoyed at the prospect of welcoming Callum, with their first son also excited about becoming a big brother.
That joy was replaced by devastation following Callum’s birth and subsequent death.
Callum was born by emergency Caesarean section at Warrington Hospital after a failed forceps delivery.
His family had previously told Warrington Worldwide that Callum suffered a hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) brain injury and multiple skull fractures. Those circumstances formed part of the evidence and issues examined during the inquest.
Following his birth at Warrington, Callum was transferred to Liverpool Women’s Hospital, where he died on April 29, 2025.
The official coroner’s listing records his date of death as April 29, 2025 and the place of death as Liverpool Women’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
In the months leading up to the inquest, Gemma and Nick established the Callum Ball Legacy Project, with the aim of raising awareness of maternity safety and supporting families who experience baby loss and maternity-related trauma.
The family has said they hope to establish a registered charity in Callum’s name.
Their fundraising appeal says their aim is to turn their pain into something positive by raising awareness, supporting families who have experienced similar losses and remembering babies who have died.
Following the coroner’s conclusion, they have made clear that they do not regard the inquest as the end of Callum’s story.
They said: “There must be accountability where healthcare services let families down where we are at our most vulnerable.”
And they added: “This is not the end of Callum’s story, and we will fight to make sure changes are made so no other family goes through what we have suffered.”
Trust accepts coroner’s findings
The NHS Trust responsible for Warrington Hospital has said it accepts the coroner’s findings and remains “truly sorry” for what happened to Callum and his family.
In a response following the conclusion of the inquest, North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust said a number of changes had been introduced to strengthen safety across maternity services since Callum’s death.
The Trust said it was committed to ensuring that lessons identified through the case were embedded to improve care and outcomes.
North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust is the organisation which now operates Warrington Hospital. It was formed on April 1, 2026 when Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust came together.
Before the inquest, Warrington Worldwide reported how Callum’s family were attempting to turn their loss into a campaign for safer maternity care.
At the time, Gemma and Nick said their message was simple: “No family should have to endure what they have endured.”
Now, following the coroner’s findings, the couple say they intend to continue campaigning in Callum’s memory.
For a little boy whose life lasted just one day, his parents hope his name will ultimately become associated not only with the tragedy of his death, but with changes designed to prevent other families experiencing the same pain.
Donations in memory of Callum can be made at https://www.gofundme.com/f/callum-ball-legacy-project
