Hospital trust’s apology to parents of tragic baby

Reece Noad-Caine died from brain damage after being starved of oxygen when he became stuck during birth due to shoulder dystocia on November 20 2011, an inquest at Wakefield heard.

His mother Joanne Noad had suffered problems with shoulder dystocia when she gave birth to a previous son, Aaron, at Leeds General Infirmary in November 2006.

But she was classed as a low risk for Reece’s birth.

Recording a narrative verdict after a three-day inquest at Wakefield Coroner’s Court, Deputy West Yorkshire Coroner Melanie Williamson, said: “Clinicians failed to properly evaluate the deceased’s mother’s previous pregnancy and failed to appreciate her pregnancy in 2011 was high risk. Specifically, there was poor planning for the birth of the deceased.”

Miss Williamson said at 2.10am on November 2011, the machine that monitored Reece’s heart rate during labour indicated a pathological reading, adding: “But there was a failure to respond in an appropriate and timely manner.”

Miss Wiiliamson said that if Reece, who was born at 3.09am on November 20 2011, had been delivered on or before 2.47am he would have survived.

Peter Merchant, representing Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, told the inquest: “The trust would wish to apologise to Miss Noad and Mr Caine for the omissions in care.”

Miss Noad said after the inquest: “I have lost a perfectly healthy child which again makes it even harder to come to terms with. Knowing that people who I trusted to care for me and my baby used assumptions and their own judgement calls and did not always follow NHS guidelines of good practice, is very hard to accept.

“I have heard that certain procedures have been introduced and altered as a result of this tragedy and for this I am grateful as I hope they ensure that women are given nothing but the best maternity care.”