Nottingham midwives admit failures over death of baby

Midwives have admitted failings after a baby died within minutes of being born.

Wynter Andrews was delivered by Caesarean section on 15 September 2019 at Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre.

Midwife Clare Lee told an inquest in the city it had been a "busy" shift when Sarah Andrews was admitted to hospital on 14 September, and said she "did not do my job properly that day".

Ms Lee and another midwife said they had been busy caring for another woman, who took up most of their time.

A pathologist previously told the inquest Wynter lacked oxygen after an infection and the umbilical cord had been wrapped around her neck.

Ms Lee, who had cared for Mrs Andrews during the day on 14 September, said there were a few reasons she should have asked a doctor to review the patient - including high blood pressure and her having been in latent labour for six days - but did not.

In response to assistant coroner Laurinda Bower asking if the reason for the errors were because they were busy and short-staffed, she said: "Yes and I did not do my job properly that day."

Midwife Adele Kirk said, during an assessment of Mrs Andrews at 01:00 on 15 September, she found she had remained 4cm dilated since her last examination 10 hours previously.

She wanted to move Mrs Andrews into the labour suite so she could be assessed by a doctor but a senior midwife had told her it was full.

However the suite was not closed, the inquest at Nottingham Coroner's Court heard.

Mrs Andrews, from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, was told she had to remain where she was - in a "sanctuary suite" - for hours.

Ms Kirk said: "At 05:00 she was upset and that was the lowest point I had seen her all night.

"I wanted as much I could to transfer her but I could not."

Ms Kirk added things could have been done differently on her shift, saying she was perhaps too reliant on handover notes, rather than doing her own assessment, and did not access all of the medical notes available as she was too busy.

A number of changes have been made at the hospital since Wynter's death, the court heard.

The inquest continues.

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