An inquest into the death of a baby boy who lost his life five days after being born has concluded that he died as a result of medical negligence from the hospital.

The parents of the baby who died in 2006 said that they hold the midwifery staff at the hospital responsible for the death of their son who suffered brain damage due to being deprived of oxygen during his birth. The couple said the midwifery team needed to listen to patients more attentively.

Failings By Medical Staff

An inquest began in 2007 but could not be continued as there was another investigation being carried out by police in respect of another baby’s death linked to the same nurse and hospital. The coroner in charge of the inquest has now heard that there were a number of different health care failings during the baby’s birth in 2006. During the Coroner’s Court hearing, the mother of the baby cried as she heard how with the proper care the little boy would still be alive.

The parents said that the ordeal had been ‘every parent’s worst nightmare’ – they said that the coroners had confirmed their ‘painful opinion’ about what had happened to their son. They said that they hoped that the midwife staff would learn to listen to patients as a result of this and not always presume they know what is right without performing the correct assessments.

The father of the baby said: “We trust that by going through this needlessly prolonged, painful experience and highlighting these issues will bring about positive changes in our maternity wards in the Northern Trust and beyond.”

It was confirmed later that the midwife at the centre of the investigation will not be prosecuted even though it was agreed by medical professionals that if she had provided a proper assessment of the mother’s condition then she was likely to have had a healthy baby. The woman admitted that she had provided ‘substandard care’ and the coroner said that he had nothing but sympathy for the parents.

Claiming Compensation For A Birth Injury

Unfortunately, there are a number of birth injury claims made every day. In the majority of cases, the medical staff who are on duty to help deliver babies are professional and attentive, however, in some cases, misjudgements and errors can be made. If this has happened to you then you could be eligible to make a personal injury claim.

Making A Medical Negligence Claim

If you would like to find out more about making a medical negligence claim then please call us on our accident claim helpline or complete an online claim form for more information about how we can help you.

Published 11th February 2015.