Sick nurse lost baby after hospital ignored her fears and sent her home in agony

A heavily pregnant nurse lost her baby when she went to hospital with an agonising infection – but was sent home with painkillers.
Lekha James says she knew she had a urinary tract infection but a doctor and midwives refused to listen.
Instead of giving her antibiotics that could have dealt with the problem, they prescribed the painkiller cocodamol.
Three days later the 34-year-old nurse was rushed back with life-threatening septicaemia and medical staff could not  find a heartbeat for her baby son.
He was stillborn after labour was induced.

'Incredibly stressful and sad': Nurse Lekha James, 34, pictured with her husband Santhosh Mathew, 39, says she knew she had a urinary tract infection but claims staff at St Mary's Hospital 'wouldn't listen'

Last night Mrs James and her husband Santhosh Mathew condemned St Mary’s Hospital, Manchester, which has admitted negligence in failing to diagnose and treat the infection that led to the death of baby Aidan.
An investigation has also exposed a  ‘staff attitude problem’ and inadequate clinical assessment.

Mrs James, who lives with her husband in Manchester with their daughter Tia, six, and new baby son Aiden, said she ‘instinctively’ knew something was wrong when she went to hospital with pain in her stomach, abdomen and hips.
‘I thought that I had a urinary tract infection but no one was listening to me,’ she said. ‘I did not want to leave the hospital but I felt I was not being given a choice.
‘When I returned to the hospital a second time, I was seriously ill and I now know that I almost died because the infection had become so severe.
‘We then discovered that our baby’s heart had stopped beating as a consequence of the infection.’

Compensation: The couple, from Gorton, are pursuing a compensation claim against Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs St Mary's

Mrs James, a cardiac nurse at the Manchester Royal Infirmary – adjacent to St Mary’s – added: ‘As a nurse myself, I would never ignore what a patient tells me.
‘I knew I had a urinary tract infection but they weren’t listening, talking over us as if we were illiterate people.

‘I wasn’t happy to be sent home and the pain was so bad I needed a wheelchair. It was only when I was semi-conscious in labour I realised what had happened – it has been incredibly stressful and sad.

‘We had been trying for a baby for some time when I became pregnant, and our precious baby son was much longed for.

‘We now have another son, who we have called Aiden, but nothing can replace our baby who died.’

Mrs James, who is also a qualified midwife, hopes others will be prevented from going through the same trouble they experienced in March last year.

‘We will never fully get over our loss, but we are desperate to try to ensure that lessons are learned from our case so that hopefully we can prevent other parents from going through the same ordeal,’ she said.

Her husband, a catering supervisor who also works at the Royal Infirmary, added: ‘I don’t know how I managed to control myself when the doctor told me our baby had died.

‘We cannot describe the pain we have been through, we just want to make sure this never happens to anyone else.’
The couple are now pursuing a claim for compensation against the NHS foundation trust that runs St Mary’s and have also submitted a formal complaint to the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Their solicitor Beth Reay, who is pursuing the legal claim for the couple, said health staff had made ‘catastrophic failures’ that led to the baby’s death.

'When I returned to the hospital a second time, I was seriously ill and I now know that I almost died because the infection had become so severe.

'We then discovered that our baby’s heart had stopped beating as a consequence of the infection.'

- Mrs James

The care team, including an agency doctor, failed to spot that the infection posed a significant risk to the unborn child, which was almost full-term, she said. ‘There appeared to be a culture amongst staff that allowed them to ignore some quite basic clinical factors which has led to the death of their son,’ she added.

‘A urinary tract infection is not uncommon for women to get, especially in the later stages of  pregnancy. Warning signs were there but further tests on Lekha were not carried out before she was discharged.’

The solicitor said the trust had accepted that a course of antibiotics would have avoided the death of the baby and had written a letter of apology.

‘While I am pleased to secure this admission of negligence, Mr and Mrs James need assurances that every possible step will be taken to ensure no other parents have to live through the same distressing ordeal,’ she added.

Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has launched an internal investigation into the complaint surrounding the treatment at St Mary’s and has published a 17-page report.

However, Mrs James and her husband claim they were not told about its release.

The report states there were ‘staff attitude problems’ as well as  ‘inadequate clinical assessment by the doctor, highlighting learning needs’.

‘Staff need to be aware of how their behaviour is perceived by patients,’ it adds. ‘Lack of thought was given to the quality of care and patient experience.’

A trust spokesman said:  ‘Unfortunately as this is an ongoing legal case we are unable to confirm any details.’

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