Baby-deaths probe highlights failures

AN investigation has followed the deaths of seven babies and three mothers in maternity units at the Royal Oldham Hospital and North Manchester General in eight months.

Both hospitals, managed by the Pennine Acute Trust, called in outside experts to conduct an independent investigation of the deaths, which reportedly took place between December 2013 and July last year. Four babies and two mums died in Oldham.

The review pointed to several points of failure including “below-standard” risk management during labour, an absence of clinical leadership and a mismanagement of the risk posed by three of the women being obese. The deaths weren’t the result of deficiencies in care.

Gill Harris, chief nurse at Pennine Acute, said: “We deliver 10,000 babies a year and would like to reassure families about the safety of maternity services at our hospitals. But if any expectant mother has a concern she can contact her midwife to discuss this.”

Last June the Chronicle reported that 35-year-old mum Lisa Parkisson was found dead by a midwife in the postnatal ward at the Royal Oldham Hospital after giving birth to baby Zac two days earlier.

More recently we reported how baby Thomas Beaty died last April after being born with a fractured skull caused when doctors pushed him back into the womb during a forceps delivery that went wrong five times at the Royal Oldham Hospital.

Thomas’s dad Martin said 10 deaths in eight months is sickening, but admitted he wasn’t surprised because he felt the standard of care Thomas received gave him “zero confidence” in the organisation.

twitter: @AlexCareyOC