Royal Sussex County Hospital: Baby death mother 'was not seen by obstetrician'

A woman whose baby died after sustaining severe brain damage during labour was not seen by an obstetrician during her pregnancy, an inquest heard.

It meant his mother Eileen McCarthy was unable to discuss her birthing options.

Walter German was starved of oxygen during a long labour at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

Lawyers at Fieldfisher are pursuing a civil negligence case, claiming a C-section should have been offered due to a previous third-degree tear.

Walter was born in December 2020. His life-support was turned off after nine days, as his injuries were unrecoverable.

Recording a narrative verdict, coroner Sarah Clarke said Walter died as a result of his brain being starved of oxygen, likely due in part to an umbilical cord obstruction.

She said: "Walter's mother was not seen by an obstetrician during her pregnancy and this led to her being unable to discuss birth options regarding delivery given her previous third degree tear.

"Walter's mother was in the advanced stages of labour for a prolonged period of time with an indication for an earlier obstetric review being apparent."

Midwives did not call a doctor immediately, Brighton and Hove City Coroner's Court heard.

Consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Katie Fraser, from the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, told the inquest in an ideal situation a doctor should have been called earlier, however it might not have changed the outcome.

Speaking after the verdict, Ms McCarthy and her partner Noel German said in a joint statement: "Nothing could have prepared us for [this] devastating event.

"We left the hospital after saying our goodbyes to our baby son Walter, and that evening we had to tell Walter's three-year-old brother that he would never get to meet him."

The hospital trust's Chief Medical Officer, Dr Charlotte Hopkins, said: "We offer our heartfelt condolences to the parents of baby Walter German and wish to apologise unreservedly for the devastating impact his tragic loss has had on them and their family.

"Walter's death at such a young age was an extremely rare and distressing incident and we welcomed the Health Safety Investigation Branch's investigation to help us understand why this happened.

"We fully implemented their recommendations and hope these measures, and the additional improvements we have made to our maternity services, have provided the family with the assurances they were seeking."

Ms McCarthy said she was "really pleased" changes have been made, and it was "Walter's legacy".

Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].