Baby died after care delays as midwives joked about eating Haribos

A newborn baby died after being starved of oxygen during birth while midwives joked about how many Haribo sweets they had eaten and how much money they earned, an inquest heard.

Amelia Bradley, 26, had attended King’s Mill Hospital, Sutton-in-Ashfield, with her partner Luke Sherwood, 26, in September 2023 when her contractions started. 

They arrived at 9.30pm and had to wait more than an hour to be seen before Bradley was given pain relief and an internal examination and were told to return home later that evening.

However, just after midnight, they returned to the hospital concerned after Amelia Bradley started passing blood. She was made to wait for 40 minutes despite being the only patient in triage at that time. 

Amelia Bradley called for help but recalled how the maternity staff were sat chatting about salaries and how many Haribo sweets they had eaten that night. An inquest heard that Bradley should have been seen within 15 minutes of arriving at the hospital. 

When she was finally assessed, her baby, Theo, was found to have a slow heart rate and a decision was made to deliver him using a category one caesarean section, which occurs only when there is an urgent threat to life. 

He was born in the early hours of the morning, but the resuscitation equipment on the unit was missing, so Theo was transferred to a specialist neonatal unit for treatment. However, his condition worsened, and he died in his parents’ arms the next day. 

A post-mortem examination concluded that he died after suffering a serious brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen.

A Nottinghamshire assistant coroner, Elizabeth Didcock, found that neglect contributed to Theo’s death. She said that if Theo had been delivered earlier, he would have survived. 

His parents are calling for lessons to be learnt following the tragedy.  Amelia Bradley, who has applied to start a midwifery degree, said: “Following Theo’s death, Luke and I discussed how we wouldn’t ever want another family to have to go through what we’re going through.

“I want to honour Theo’s name and to use this awful experience to be an advocate for women and help deliver the best care and support that women should expect to receive. To lose Theo so soon after he came into the world is something we’ll never get over.”

A Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch report found that there was no allocated lead in the maternity triage department. Evidence given by an obstetrician from the trust at the inquest stated that Amelia Bradley’s presenting symptoms should have prompted an immediate assessment.

An obstetrician from the trust advised the coroner that if Amelia Bradley had been assessed promptly, it was more likely than not that Theo would have survived.