Zac Taylor-Smith was born early at 36 weeks in November 2022 at the Royal Derby Hospital. There was a long gap between his mother Hannah’s waters breaking and his delivery; this, in addition to his premature birth, meant Hannah should have been given antibiotics to help prevent infection in Zac, but she was not. After Zac’s birth, there were early signs that something wasn’t right. Despite clear signs of breathing difficulty, his condition was not treated with the urgency it required. By the time the seriousness of the situation was recognised, Zac had developed a group B strep infection - a condition that is treatable if the baby’s mother is given antibiotics or when caught early, but in this case proved fatal.

Parents Hannah and Tim Taylor-Smith attended an inquest at Derby Coroner’s Court, where JMW’s Nicola Wainwright provided them with advice and support. The coroner ruled that Zac’s death was contributed to by neglect, with basic errors made by nearly every member of staff involved, and that Zac would have survived if he had been treated correctly and on time.

Here, Tim and Hannah share their experiences, from the events surrounding Zac’s birth to the support they received from Nicola. Their story highlights both the heartbreak and the determination that has shaped their journey since, and shows how the family is using their experience to raise awareness, advocate for change, and help prevent similar tragedies from happening to others.

Watch Tim and Hannah share Zac’s story, or read the full transcript below.

Tim: Zac was born at 2.51 in the morning on 17th November 2022.

Hannah: I was struggling with my asthma, so we’d gone back and forth to the hospital a number of times, and we decided on an induction at 36 weeks. The birth went pretty much to plan - it wasn’t my first rodeo - so for me, it was a really good delivery.

Tim: And he was a normal baby when he was born.

Hannah: We kind of knew that they had acknowledged that something was potentially going on because the midwife had said that she’d contacted the registrar to let them know that he’d had some cold readings.

Tim: He wouldn’t feed when there was an attempt to feed.

Hannah: When the new midwife came on, I actually asked her, “Is he okay?” From what we know from documentation, she had documented that he was nostril-flaring.

Tim: They downplayed it to a certain extent, so we felt calm enough not to be majorly concerned. We were then moved to the post-labour ward. It was at that point that I physically noticed how he was seemingly struggling to breathe. I had it confirmed by a healthcare professional that what I was seeing, they were seeing. And then to be told, “No, he’s just mucousy, just wind him.” And after maybe 15 or 20 seconds of winding him, I asked Hannah: “Is he breathing? Just bring him forward again - is he breathing?”

Hannah: At the moment I pulled that cord, I felt like I was just in some kind of weird horror film. I just remember all of these people swarming into the room.

Tim: All we wanted was for these doctors and nurses to say: “This is what’s wrong with him, and he’ll be back with you in no time.” That moment didn’t come, unfortunately. We didn’t get that happy ever after with Zac.

Zachary Taylor-Smith was born on 17th November 2022 and he died on the same day.

Tim: The consultant came and saw us to let us know that he was positive for group B strep.

Hannah: An infection that just needed antibiotics - and how had something so simple not been picked up?

Tim: We just knew at that moment that this wasn't going to be the end of this. From the first phone call we had with Nicola, we felt heard.

Hannah: The time that she gave us to talk over things - on the phone, on Zoom, or wherever it might be - it did give us that control back, and I'm forever grateful to her for that.

Tim: She said that she’d help us to get the best outcome we can. What it’s actually meant in the long run is that Zac has somewhat got some peace and justice, because the failures that were made and the missed opportunities that were there - that ultimately caused him to die - were recognised. Nicola helped us get that recognition in the legal world; the narrative of neglect with the Prevention of Future Deaths report, or from the coroner during the inquest.

Hannah: We knew that he deserved that outcome. Just hearing those words leave the coroner’s mouth was heartbreaking - to know that he met the threshold for neglect.

Tim: That helped us get a little bit of closure on why we're here.

Hannah: [Our daughter] Primrose carries Nicola’s name as a middle name. I feel like Nicola will always be part of our lives and our story because of everything that she’s done for us, so I think that’s really special.

Tim and Hannah continue their fight to campaign for Group B Strep awareness. Tim and JMW’s Chloe Wynne recently ran the London Landmarks Half Marathon together in Zac’s memory.

Tim: It still goes on - we’re still battling to raise awareness and to do whatever we can to help other families.

Hannah: It was worth it to put it out there, and that’s why we are continually raising awareness for group B strep - because actually, how many more lives can be saved by sharing his story?