Latest news with #CaesareanSection
Telegraph
08-08-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Baby died after ‘communication issues' with remote-working consultant
A coroner has issued a warning about NHS consultants working remotely from home after a baby died following a delayed Caesarean section. Daisy McCoy's mother visited hospital reporting reduced and unusual foetal movement, and a scan showed that Daisy had sustained at least one brain injury, an inquest heard. However, there was a delay in carrying out the C-section operation at Yeovil Maternity Unit in Somerset because of 'communication issues' between staff, including the consultant who was working remotely. Deborah Archer, the area coroner for Devon, Plymouth and Torbay, warned that there was a gap in policy on staffing after the consultant did not 'fully consider' if she should come in to assist because she was unaware of staffing problems on the ward. Shortly after her birth, Daisy was transferred to a larger hospital and then to a children's hospice, where she died 13 days after the procedure. Phone call was not initiated Yeovil Maternity Unit closed temporarily in May this year because 'high staff sickness', which Adam Dance, the local MP, told the Commons was partly due to a 'toxic work culture'. It is due to open in November. The inquest heard that Daisy was born via Caesarean section at the unit in Somerset on Feb 9 2022. After her mother had reported abnormal foetal movement, there was a delay in the operation because of a communication failure between staff and a lack of training around the significance of this presentation. A scan showed that Daisy had suffered a brain injury because of lack of oxygen or blood flow, and her parents were left on their own for an hour with no explanation of how serious the injury was. In a prevention of future deaths report, Ms Archer said: 'The consultant who was working remotely was not fully aware of the staffing issues on the ward, and this meant that she did not fully consider with all the information whether she should have come onto the unit to assist in person.' She said there was no guidance to ask a consultant to attend in this matter, and 'no one had time to escalate matters ... or make an accurate note', which meant that a telephone call – which should have happened 30 minutes after Daisy's abnormal scan – was not initiated. None of the staff checked the criteria for a normal foetal heartbeat, and therefore did not escalate the results of the test. The consultant told the inquest that, if she had been aware of the outcome, she would have come on to the ward at that point. 'Significant damage' On Feb 9, Daisy was moved to the larger Southmead Hospital in Bristol before being transferred at some point to a children's hospice in Barnstaple, Devon, where she died on Feb 22. Ms Archer recorded a narrative conclusion that the 13-day-old had died because of an interruption in blood flow to the brain, which caused 'significant damage', and perinatal asphyxia before her delivery. The inquest found that the brain injury was already present when Daisy's mother attended the maternity unit, and earlier delivery would not have impacted her chances of survival. The area coroner warned that further deaths may occur given the lack of training on abnormal foetal movements, absence of policies on escalation of emergencies, and a gap in the policy on consultants attending when the ward is understaffed. Her report has been sent to the associate medical director of Musgrove Park in Taunton, the other hospital run by Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, where many mothers from the closed Yeovil unit have been sent. They have until Sept 30 to respond.
BBC News
04-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Births in Jersey fell by 10% in 2024, figures show
The number of babies born in Jersey fell by almost 10% in 2024 compared to the year before, figures Health Jersey said 720 births to Jersey resident mothers were recorded in 2024, which was down from 799 in said the figure was the lowest going back to 1995 and represented a 36% decrease from 2012 when 1,124 births were recorded - the most so far this figures from Public Health Jersey also showed 51% of the 2024 births were to first-time mothers and the average age of women giving birth in Jersey was 32 years. Public Health Jersey said 330 of the babies born in 2024 were female and 390 were said 8% of the births were classified as preterm - meaning they were born before 37 weeks' gestation - and 10 mothers in Jersey had twins or multiple births.A total of 46% of births between 2022 and 2024 were delivered by Caesarean section, Public Health Jersey added.
Daily Record
13-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
NHS Lothian midwives up for prestigious award thanks to ingenious cozy creation for newborn babies
Stacey Boyle and Marianne Hay created cost-effective scrubs that allow skin-to-skin contact Two inspiring West Lothian midwives have created pioneering theatre scrubs that allow immediate skin-to-skin contact for babies delivered by Caesarean Section. Midwife Stacey Boyle and Senior Charge Midwife Marianne Hay of St John's Hospital in Livingston have been named as finalists in the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland Awards. Judges singled out the NHS Lothian pair for their ingenuity in creating the efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable Cozy Cuddle Scrubs (by Stacey)™, Marianne and Stacey have been named one of three finalists in the Inspiring Excellence — Nursing Innovation and Research Award category. Since spring 2024, InnoScot Health worked closely with the two midwives to realise their ambitions of improving neonatal care and outcomes for families and for the innovation to reach hospitals across the UK, possibly even globally. Alongside ACCORD, NHS Lothian's Research and Development team, InnoScot Health helped protect and register the design. Cozy Cuddle Scrubs (by Stacey)™ are now well-placed to become more widely available through manufacturing partners. Marianne and Stacey recognised that skin-to-skin contact helps newborns adjust to life outside the womb by keeping them warm while regulating heart rate and breathing, encouraging babies to look for breasts to start feeding, and assisting with immediate bonding and emotional connection. With the surgical team focusing on the mum and the completion of the C-Section, birthing partners often step in to provide that much needed contact — but with the newborn placed on their chest and covered with blankets or towels, that does not always effectively sustain or assist in keeping babies warm, meaning they can be at risk of having to be admitted to special care. Marianne and Stacey came up with the idea of specially adapted cost-effective scrubs for partners with an accessible covering, allowing vital skin-to-skin to take place as soon as the baby is born. With upcycled NHS fleeces used as the cosy material and a secure Velcro opening, newborns can nestle inside the scrubs and reap all the benefits of life-changing skin-to-skin with fathers/birthing partners until the individual who's given birth is able to. Gregor Poynton MP for Livingston wrote to congratulate the two midwives. He said: 'It is an incredible achievement to be recognised in this way, and you should be very proud of yourself — as I know your friends, family, and colleagues will be. 'The work you do as a midwife is incredibly important, and to have developed a technique that can be vital in helping a baby immediately is truly fantastic. 'I wish you all the very best for the awards — keep up the amazing work!' Regulatory Project Manager at InnoScot Health, Paula Sweeten said: 'I know just how delighted Marianne and Stacey are to have been named award finalists, so further acknowledgement from their MP only adds to their sense of achievement. 'The support for them and their ambitions after so much hard work has been incredible.' The award category winners will be named at a special ceremony taking place at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh on June 12, while the highly coveted overall RCN Scotland Nurse of the Year 2025 will be selected from the registered nurse winners across the eligible categories.
