Theo died due to a lack of oxygen during his birth. During the inquest, it was revealed that midwives were overheard discussing the earnings they made and how many sweets they had consumed.
Amelia, Theo’s mother, said that she repeatedly asked for help during his birth. However, she was met with a lack of responses.
One of the midwives reportedly said that she couldn’t believe how many Haribo she had consumed earlier.
After it was discovered that Amelia was not seen to, one of the midwives admitted that she made a joke about a colleague who reportedly made more money than her due to her work at a bank. Around 40 minutes passed before Theo and Amelia were assessed.
Due to Theo’s slow heart rate, he was decided to be delivered via Cesarean. This type of procedure is usually performed to ensure the safety of the mother and baby. However, after he was born, the resuscitation equipment was missing.
He continued to deteriorate and died the following day. He was surrounded by his family when he passed away. An autopsy carried out the following day revealed that he died due to a brain injury caused by oxygen deprivation. An inquest into his death was held this week and a narrative conclusion was reached.
Elizabeth Didcock, an assistant coroner for Nottinghamshire, stated that neglect caused Theo’s death, and if he had been delivered earlier, he would still be alive. His parents, Amelia and Luke Sherwood, have called for lessons to be learned from this tragic incident.
After Theo’s death, Amelia applied to become a midwife. She said that she and her partner decided that they would never allow another family to go through the same experience they had. Through her application, she aims to advocate for women and ensure that they receive the best possible care.
Theo’s death has left Amelia and her partner in a state of grief. They are not able to get over the loss of their son. They had been planning on becoming a family, and the cruel way they lost him has left them devastated.
It’s hard to believe that Theo will never get to celebrate his first birthday. Even though they know that it’s impossible to bring him back, they’re grateful for the answers they received following the inquest. Now that they have some closure, they hope that other families don’t have to go through the same ordeal.
On September 13, 2017, Amelia and Luke went to King’s Mill Hospital after experiencing contractions. They were then told to wait for more than an hour while Amelia underwent a sweep and was given pain relief. After being discharged at around 11.30 pm, Amelia experienced severe pain and went back to the hospital.
An investigation conducted by the HSIB revealed that the triage department did not have an allocated lead. This meant that nobody was responsible for managing the workload or assigning roles. The lack of a lead also led to unnecessary delays in the assessment of Amelia.
An obstetrician at the inquest stated that the delay in providing treatment to Amelia’s condition could have affected Theo’s outcome. The expert also noted that if the hospital had acted immediately, it was more likely that the baby would have survived.
Laura Robinson, a medical negligence lawyer from Irwin Mitchell, stated that the death of Theo has had a huge impact on the lives of Amelia and Luke. She said that the questions that they were asked during the investigation had made their situation worse.
Although nothing can replace Theo’s life, Luke and Amelia are grateful for the answers they were able to receive following the inquest. Unfortunately, the findings of the investigation revealed that the hospital’s care before the baby’s death was not good enough.