 |
| Addenbrooke's Hospital: Baby who died was not given routine vitamin |
A coroner's inquiry has uncovered a heart-wrenching case of medical neglect resulting in the tragic death of an infant who was not administered routine vitamin K following birth.
William Moris-Patto came into the world at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge in July 2020 but succumbed to a brain bleed seven weeks later. Coroner Lorna Skinner KC's verdict emphasized that his demise could have been prevented if he had received the crucial vitamin K, essential for blood clotting.
The hospital trust has expressed its profound apologies for the lapse.
During the inquest held in Huntingdon, it was revealed that William was born prematurely at 34 weeks on July 27th. His mother had explicitly inquired about William's vitamin K shot. Skinner recounted, "So far as she can recall, when she asked if William had had all the necessary postnatal checks and care, a female member of the... staff said 'yes, everything's been done.'"
William remained in the hospital for two weeks and was discharged with a nasogastric tube. However, on the night of September 11th, he fell ill, and his parents, residing in Chatteris, sought help from the NHS 111 service. This led to an ambulance being dispatched, and William was rushed to Addenbrooke's. Surgery was performed on him, but clinicians believed the brain damage was too extensive for recovery. William, tragically, passed away on September 17th.
Coroner Skinner acknowledged William's mother, Naomi Moris's, statement that the baby's death was "nothing short of devastating."
Skinner emphasized that vitamin K administration had been a standard practice in newborn care for many years. She pointed out that all babies are born with a vitamin K deficiency, and the failure to provide it to William was deemed "gross negligence."
The coroner stated, "This was neglect. Neglect that occurred in circumstances where otherwise the care and treatment given to William could not be faulted."
In her narrative conclusion, Skinner noted, "William died of natural causes - a vitamin K deficiency which caused a spontaneous intracranial haemorrhage. His death was contributed to by neglect in that he was not given vitamin K after birth, and if he had been, he would not have died."
Samantha Critchley, representing the family at legal firm Fieldfisher, revealed, "An audit of births around the same time showed 27 other babies were recorded as not having had vitamin K. It is hugely disappointing to hear that three years later, accurate vitamin K records across the midwifery and neonatal units at the trust are still missing."
A spokesperson for Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust fully accepted the coroner's findings, stating, "The trust remains deeply saddened by William's tragic death and wishes to express its sincere condolences and apologies to his family at this difficult time. Processes were, and continue to be, constantly reviewed to ensure a similar error cannot be made in the future. If, following further review, the coroner has any concerns, these will be addressed."
Post a Comment