Hospital to blame over death of baby

23 Jan 2009

A Worcestershire couple have received a five-figure compensation pay out after hospital errors led to the death of their baby son shortly after his birth.

Nadia and Steve Jones, from Worcestershire, lost their son Harry just seven hours after he was born at Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust admitted fault after staff failed to perform routine checks during Mrs Jones’s labour.

Baby Harry died of oxygen starvation and blood poisoning.

Problems first arose four days before Harry’s birth when Nadia Jones went to hospital after her waters broke.

Staff at the hospital didn’t notice that Mrs Jones had an e-coli infection which had passed to her son. The failure to spot the infection meant midwives sent Mrs Jones home, when they might instead have induced labour.

Mrs Jones made two further visits to the hospital, having become concerned over the frequency of her baby’s movements. On both occasions staff told her there was nothing to worry about and she was sent home.

Four days after her first visit, Mrs Jones again went to hospital and a midwife spent over half-an-hour trying to find the baby’s heartbeat.

When one could not be found, Mrs Jones was rushed for an emergency caesarean section. Baby Harry was born in a very poorly condition and moved to the neonatal unit.

Later a nurse told Mr Jones that his baby had been stillborn, when in fact baby Harry was still fighting for life in the neonatal unit.

Harry died later that day and the confusion over his condition meant Mr and Mrs Jones got just a few minutes with their son.

Guy Forster, the family’s lawyer, said: “Harry would, in all likelihood, be alive and well today if Worcestershire Royal Hospital had provided adequate care and reacted to the clear warning signs that he was in distress.”

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