THE parents of a nine-day-old baby who died in hospital hope that “no other parents have to go through what we have been through.”
Eileen McCarthy gave birth to her son Walter German in December 2020 at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.
During the two day inquest at Brighton and Hove Coroner’s Court, Ms McCarthy described how Walter was "floppy and blue" as he had been starved of oxygen and needed to be resuscitated.
The inquest heard that Ms McCarthy and her partner Noel German, from Brighton, were in "complete shock" after they were told their newborn may have a brain injury.
On January 8, 2021, when it emerged Walter would not recover from the brain injury his parents made the decision to remove life support.
Coroner Sarah Clarke recorded a conclusion that Walter died as a result of his brain being starved of oxygen, likely due in part to an umbilical cord obstruction.
Ms McCarthy had suffered a third degree tear during her previous labour three years earlier with her son Rupert.
In her conclusion Coroner Clarke said: “Walter’s mother was not seen by an obstetrician during her pregnancy and this led to her being unable to discuss birth options regarding delivery given her previous third degree tear.”
In her evidence Ms McCarthy told the inquest that she would have opted for an elective Caesarean section, had the obstetrician appointment taken place.
The appointment was cancelled once by Ms McCarthy, who asked to reschedule it but was not given a further date.
Lawyers at Fieldfisher are pursuing a civil negligence case, as an elective Caesarean section was not discussed with Ms McCarthy.
The firm claims a midwife acknowledged they had not been aware Ms McCarthy had suffered the tear, despite it being recorded in her notes.
It states that the report by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) identified “several failures” in Ms McCarthy’s care, particularly a failure to bring in the obstetric team during the birth.
On Tuesday it was also heard that during the delivery, the Labour Ward co-ordinator, midwife Victoria Wright, did not believe that calling the obstetrician during Walter’s delivery “would have made a difference”.
Yesterday, the court heard from Dr Katie Fraser, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, who said that if obstetrics had been called “We would examine the vagina, with a vertex that's crowning I expect that an obstetrician would have done what the Labour Ward co-ordinator did. Maybe, in my opinion, slightly more confidently.”
Dr Fraser told the inquest that in an ideal situation a doctor should have been called earlier, although she could not say for sure if it would have made a difference.
Coroner Clarke concluded that Walter’s mother was in the advanced stages of labour for a “prolonged period of time with an indication for an earlier obstetric review being apparent.”
Ms Kate Hasson, from the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, detailed the action plan that has since been implemented to help improve maternity services across all the hospitals.
Several changes have been made such as software which flags when an appointment has been missed, as well as previous medical history.
Speaking after the verdict, Ms McCarthy and Mr German, from Brighton, said: “When we arrived at the hospital on December 30, 2020 in labour with a healthy baby nothing could have prepared us for the devastating events which were about to unfold.
“Nine days later we left the hospital after saying our goodbyes to our baby son, Walter.
“That evening we had to tell Walter’s three-year-old brother that he would never get to meet him.
“From this inquest it is our hope that we can uncover the failings of the systems that had led to this tragedy so that no other parents have to go through what we have been through.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank our family and friends who have supported us at this time.”
Ms McCarthy also added that she was "really pleased" changes have been made, and it was "Walter's legacy".
The trust’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Charlotte Hopkins said: “We offer our heartfelt condolences to the parents of baby Walter German and wish to apologise unreservedly for the devastating impact his tragic loss has had on them and their family.
“Walter’s death at such a young age was an extremely rare and distressing incident and we welcomed the Health Safety Investigation Branch’s investigation to help us understand why this happened.
“We fully implemented their recommendations and hope these measures, and the additional improvements we have made to our maternity services, have provided the family with the assurances they were seeking.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here