Kent NHS trust admits liability over Archie Batten death

An NHS trust at the centre of a review into its maternity services after up to 15 babies died has admitted liability for the death of a baby boy.

East Kent Hospitals Trust confirmed it had accepted responsibility as a pre-inquest review was held into Archie Batten's death in hospital in Margate.

Lawyers said Archie died 27 minutes after he was born in September 2019.

His parents, Rachel Higgs and Andrew Batten, said they are determined to find out exactly what went wrong.

The family's lawyers have said Ms Higgs was initially refused admission to Margate's Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital (QEQM) and then cared for at home by a succession of four midwives before she was taken to hospital by ambulance and Archie was born.

Ms Higgs said: "We put our total faith in the trust and the professionals looking after us. The number and range of mistakes that took place are difficult to comprehend.

"I am pleased that the trust has made this formal admission.

"Beyond this, however, we are determined to get to the bottom of exactly what went wrong and why, through the ongoing inquest process, the Kirkup review and otherwise.

"This is because, like the other families affected by the blunders at the QEQM, our overriding ambition is that genuine, lasting and effective changes are made so that other families do not have to suffer in the same way in the future."

A spokesman for East Kent Hospitals said: "We are truly sorry for the death of Archie and we offer our heartfelt condolences to Archie's family.

"We are making improvements to our maternity service, with help from leading maternity experts, to ensure that we provide safe services for all mums and babies.

"We are fully committed to making any further changes recommended by the coroner as a result of Archie's inquest."

A virtual pre-inquest review was held in Maidstone on Friday.

A date for the full inquest has not yet been set.