A couple whose baby died after a catalogue of errors' by Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust have started a campaign to stop the Government closing hospitals in nationwide health reforms.

Andrew and Rachel Canter decided to have their baby - their first child - last October, at the midwife-led Edgware Birth Centre, based at Edgware Hospital, because they wanted a natural birth and thought it had a good reputation.

The labour started well, but later on the midwife became concerned as the baby's heartbeat had dropped and, as a precaution, transferred Mrs Canter, a personal trainer, to Barnet Hospital, in Wellhouse Lane.

But according to Mr Canter, 39, his wife was taken instead to Chase Farm Hospital, in The Ridgeway, Enfield, because Barnet Hospital was closed, adding another 27 minutes to their journey - during which time she received no medical attention.

And, instead of being taken directly to the operating theatre as had been the plan, Mrs Canter, 34, was taken to a delivery room and the baby, who they named Jake, was delivered stillborn. The couple are now taking legal action against the trust on the grounds of negligence.

Mr Canter, the head of an advertising agency, said: "We fell for the softly ' approach at the Edgware Birth Centre. We knew there was no chance of any medical intervention but staff at the birthing centre said things rarely went wrong and that if anything did, there would be an immediate transfer to Barnet Hospital which is seven minutes away.

"What they didn't say was that the maternity unit sometimes closes at Barnet because it gets really busy. Had they said that they sometimes transfer to Chase Farm, we probably would not have gone there and they knew at 10.20pm the night before the birth that Barnet Hospital was closed because it was really busy."

He and his wife, who now live in Welwyn, Hertfordshire, are now trying to raise awareness of the Government's plans. Primary Care Trusts and hospital trusts in Barnet, Camden and Haringey have recently started formal consultation processes into the reconfiguration of services, which may see the eventual closure of some hospital units or even hospitals.

Mr Canter said: "Our campaign is to keep hospitals open."

Mr Canter added: "It takes time to come to terms with the tragedy. It's coming up to our baby's first anniversary and there is the frustration that the trust has not come back to us to find out what happened. We don't exactly know why Jake died. There was a catalogue of errors. The key is to stop closing hospitals and there needs to be funding in the right place, in the frontline."

A trust spokesman said he could not comment on the case for legal reasons, but added: "We now run the maternity services together across all of our facilities and they are in constant contact with each other, to make sure patients get the best possible care."

For more information about Mr and Mrs Canter's campaign, visit www.keephospitalsopen.co.uk