Poppy's Promise: Parents turn their NHS tragedy into a mission for empathy

The tragedy at Princess Royal

When Katie and Neil Russell lost their baby, Poppy, in April 2021, the trauma went way beyond the medical failure. During her pregnancy, Katie had explicitly asked for a C-section due to her tokophobia, but she says she was told she “couldn’t just ask” for one. When she was induced, she described being left alone in a room for long periods without proper monitoring.

By the time an emergency C-section was performed, it was too late. Poppy had suffered a hypoxic brain injury and passed away that same day. An inquest later confirmed that if she had been born just an hour earlier, she would have lived.

To make matters worse, the Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust (SaTH) initially blamed Katie for the death, claiming she refused fetal monitoring—a statement the inquest eventually proved was false. Neil describes the aftermath as a "cavalcade of lies" that made the pain almost impossible to bear.

Creating 'Poppy’s Promise'

Instead of letting their anger consume them, the couple decided to channel their grief into "Poppy’s Promise." The initiative, which is now being rolled out to all 8,000 staff members at SaTH, centers on the idea of treating patients like human beings rather than just a diagnosis.

Katie notes that during her own traumatic experience, one midwife stood out by simply sitting, crying with her, and offering a hug. That small, human connection left a mark that stuck with her. The goal of the training is to remind staff that they are part of a woman’s journey, not the other way around. Midwifery ward manager Tasha Simmons says the core lesson is being "fully present" with patients, no matter how busy the shift gets.

The challenge of compassion

Healthcare workers aren't trying to be cold, but systemic pressure is real. Dr. Adrian Marsh, an emergency medicine consultant at the hospital, notes that high workloads lead to "compassion fatigue." However, the research is clear: when patients are treated with genuine empathy, they actually have better medical outcomes and fewer complications.

Why it matters

This isn't just about one hospital. Other NHS trusts and universities are already looking into adopting the principles of Poppy’s Promise. It’s a massive L for the system that it took such a preventable tragedy to spark this, but by focusing on humanizing care, the Russells are lowkey changing the culture of medicine for the better. Real talk: if this initiative can prevent even one family from going through what they did, it’s a total W.