A tragic incident involving the death of a newborn baby has been ruled as a result of severe negligence by three midwives in providing essential medical care, according to a coroner’s report. The baby, Ida Lock, was born at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary on November 9, 2019, but sadly passed away a week later after sustaining a serious brain injury due to oxygen deprivation. Coroner James Adeley concluded that the midwives failed to deliver urgent care to Ida when it was clear she was in distress, with the lead midwife’s incompetence in basic neonatal resuscitation also contributing to the tragic outcome.
Following the infant’s birth, Ida was transferred to the neonatal unit at Royal Preston Hospital, where she ultimately passed away on November 16, 2019. An investigation by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) in April 2020 highlighted various shortcomings in Ida’s care that led to her death, including a failure to identify an abnormal fetal heart rate and ineffective resuscitation measures after birth. In contrast, an internal report from the hospital in January 2020 praised the staff’s performance in the delivery suite, leading to discrepancies in the assessments of Ida’s care.
Dr. Adeley’s verdict emphasized that Ida’s tragic death was a direct result of the midwives’ failure to provide essential medical care during delivery, which resulted in oxygen deprivation and subsequent brain damage. The coroner also criticized the hospital’s investigation into the matter, describing it as a system that failed the family at every turn. The University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT), which oversees the hospital, expressed deep regret for the distress caused to Ida’s family and acknowledged their failure in providing adequate care. Moving forward, they pledged to implement necessary improvements to prevent such incidents from recurring
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