Baby ‘would have lived if maternity staff had done their job properly’
GRIEVING parents were told their baby son would still be alive if staff in a busy NHS maternity unit had ‘done their job properly’, an inquest has heard.
Sebastian Clark died in the arms of his mother and father four days after suffering a devastating brain injury during his birth at Kingston Hospital in Surrey.
At West London Coroner’s Court yesterday, the couple demanded answers for the ‘entirely avoidable’ death of their first-born son, for which the hospital apologised after staff ‘lost track of time’ because they were so busy.
Sebastian’s mother, Alison Clark, 32, who works as a psychological well-being officer, fought back tears as she described how she went into labour on March 6, 2017. However, after more than 12 hours of contractions, she claims she asked midwives about having a caesarean.
‘I trusted everything the staff were saying when they told me Seb was fine,’ she said. ‘I was told there was no need for a c-section but they would do one if needed.’
While Mrs Clark, from Surbiton, south-west London, was in labour, Sebastian’s heart rate began to fluctuate. When it dropped drastically, she was rushed to theatre and he was born using a forceps delivery. He was placed briefly on his mother’s abdomen before being taken away to be resuscitated.
Sebastian’s father, Justin Clark, 30, whose statement was read to the inquest by his lawyer, described his ‘terror’ at realising his son was not breathing. ‘that exact moment will haunt me for the rest of my life,’ he said. ‘there was blood, so very much blood. I was in a state of panic. It had been roughly 26 minutes from him being born and regaining a heartbeat. I was desperately hoping with every fibre of my being that my little boy would be all right.’
the next day Sebastian and his mother were transferred to St George’s Hospital in southWest London. But he continued to deteriorate, and the couple their son were was brain eventually dead. told they then took the heartbreaking decision to turn off his life support machine. their baby boy, who was just four days old, kept breathing unaided for another four hours before he died peacefully in their arms.
Mrs Clark told the inquest they had ‘no idea’ their son’s death could have been avoided until they received a letter from the hospital several weeks later. In it, Mandi Dolbear, a maternity risk midwife from the hospital, apologised for ‘letting the family down’.
the parents’ worst fears were confirmed during a subsequent meeting with Mr Andrew Poole, an obstetric consultant, at which they were told ‘Sebastian would be alive if they had done their job properly’ and he admitted that staff had ‘ not followed procedure’. Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation trust has since apologised and admitted that substandard care led to Sebastian’s poor condition at birth and his subsequent death. the couple said in a statement: ‘Sebastian was a completely healthy little boy up until the point of labour. What happened to him was entirely avoidable.’ the inquest continues.
‘There was blood, so much blood’