Newborn baby died after 'appalling catalogue of failings' by midwives meant he was starved of oxygen

Hospital bosses have admitted responsibility for the death of a newborn baby following an ‘appalling catalogue of failings’ by midwives.
Lesley Broughton and Jason Ham's first child, Ford, died of brain damage caused by oxygen starvation at Redditch’s Alexandra Hospital shortly after his birth on October 3, 2010.
Ms Broughton, 31, lost so much blood during labour that she feared for her own life.
She also had to wait more than two hours to be sent for an emergency Caesarean section after Ford’s heartbeat dropped.

Lesley Broughton and Jason Ham's first child, Ford, died of brain damage caused by oxygen starvation at Redditch's Alexandra Hospital. Midwives struggled to find the baby's heartbeat but it took two hours for Ms Broughton to be sent for an emergency C-section. The couple are pictured with a memory box they created

Investigators found that Ms Broughton was not reviewed by a consultant - despite her pregnancy being considered high risk because of complications during previous pregnancies.
They also discovered that midwives failed to request additional help when the maternity unit became busy and that the couple were not provided with somewhere quiet to grieve after their baby’s death.
The couple have now secured a full admission of responsibility and official apology from Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust after taking legal action.

They have also received an undisclosed payout, which will be used to have treatment for depression.
Ms Broughton, from Kings Norton, Birmingham, was admitted to the Alexandra Hospital on October 1, 2010, so she could be monitored closely after suffering repeated heavy bleeding.
At 7.15am on October 3, midwives struggled to find a strong heartbeat for Ford, yet it took more than two hours for staff to transfer Ms Broughton to theatre for a more detailed scan and potential Caesarean section.

Doctors spent 20 minutes trying to resuscitate Ford after his birth but they were unable to save him. ied, despite staff trying to resuscitate him for 20 minutes

Ford was eventually delivered at 9.39am with no signs of life. He died, despite staff trying to resuscitate him for 20 minutes.
Ms Broughton, who has two children aged six and 11 from a previous relationship, said: ‘Ford was mine and Jason’s first child together and we were so excited to welcome him into the family.
‘My other children couldn’t wait to meet him and they made cards for him, so when Jason had to go back to our home and tell them they wouldn’t ever get to see him and I was poorly in hospital, it broke their hearts, too.
‘Jason and I knew something was wrong but despite begging for help, the midwives did nothing and just didn’t seem to care. I was losing so much blood I thought I was going to die.

The couple say they are now too scared to try for another baby

‘I don’t remember the Caesarean and needed further surgery. Several hours after the delivery a doctor came and told me that Ford had died while I was on my own.
‘The following day, Jason and I were allowed to go and say goodbye to Ford. We both held him in our arms and sobbed.
‘Even when I stayed in hospital to recover for three weeks, none of the nurses seemed to care about what we’d been through and didn’t offer any support or counselling.’
She added: ‘We were disgusted by the way we were treated and determined to get justice for Ford.
‘We welcome the apology but nothing could bring him back or make up for the pain we continue to suffer. We’re too scared to try for another baby because we’ve lost faith in the country’s maternity services.
‘We just hope more than anything that improvements on the ward have been made as it will give us a tiny piece of hope that Ford’s death was not completely in vain.’
Following the birth, Ms Broughton spent three weeks in hospital recovering from blood loss and further complications from surgery.
She said: ‘I’m not the person I used to be. I have some good days, some bad days.’
A hospital spokeswoman said: ‘Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust apologises for the failings in care given to Ford and his family.
‘The Trust has admitted responsibility and offered a full apology to the family for Ford’s death.
‘The Trust is pleased a financial settlement has now been reached with his family and extends its condolences during what would continue to be a difficult time for Ford’s family.’

Alexandra Hospital has admitted responsibility for Ford's death and has agreed an out-of-court settlement with his parents who say they need the money to pay for treatment for depression

Tom Riis-Bristow of the law firm Irwin Mitchell, which represented the couple, said: ‘This is a tragic case that has seen a young couple left devastated by the loss of their first child together.
‘What is clear is that midwives made an appalling catalogue of failings and ignored a number of clear signs that Lesley should be rushed for an emergency Caesarean to save Ford’s life.
‘It’s hard to comprehend why more was not done to investigate why Lesley was in so much pain and losing so much blood, particularly given that staff were aware she was a high risk pregnancy
‘The couple have understandably found it incredibly hard to accept what happened and need specialist support to help them come to terms with their loss.
‘We are pleased that a settlement has been reached to fund this but we are also keen to see proof that the Trust has learnt from the mistakes it made and made improvements to ensure the same tragedy cannot happen again.’

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