Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust Admit Birth Trauma Liability
Birth Trauma Liability
18/08/2008
37-year-old Nadia Jones, from Kidderminster suffered the worst possible birth trauma when baby Harry sadly died seven hours after being born.
Problems first arose on September 12th 2004 when Mrs Jones attended Worcestershire Royal Hospital after her waters broke at home.
Rather than inducing labour, midwives told Nadia and her husband Steve to go back home again. Routine checks, which would have indicated the baby was in distress, were not carried out.
Nadia returned to hospital on both the 13th and 14th September and, despite telling midwifery staff that she was concerned that her baby's movements had changed, she was reassured there was nothing to worry about and to go home.
When Nadia returned to hospital for the fourth time, on 15th September, a midwife spent more than 30 minutes trying without success to find the baby's heartbeat. After 30 minutes, a second midwife was called and she quickly realised an emergency caesarean section was needed.
Nadia was rushed to theatre while Steve was left to wait helplessly in the corridor for news. Baby Harry was born at 8.08am on 15th September in a very poor condition and was rushed to the Neonatal Unit.
Some time later a nurse came to tell Steve that his baby had been stillborn. In fact baby Harry was fighting for his life on the Neonatal Unit at this point.
Steve was in the hospital grounds trying to come to terms with the dreadful news that his son had died when a security guard asked him to return to the hospital as his son was in fact alive!
When Steve arrived at the neonatal unit, baby Harry was in an incubator and doctors broke the news that there was little prospect he would live for more than one day.
At 3.30pm that afternoon, Harry was brought to Nadia and Steve who were both able to hold him very briefly before he died. The cause of death was later recorded as being due to oxygen starvation and septicaemia.
Mr & Mrs Jones have taken legal action following the failures by the hospital and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust has now admitted liability. A final compensation settlement is expected to be reached later this year.