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Camden New Journal - by ROISIN GADELRAB
Published: 14 June 2007

Baby tragedy as hospital repeats fatal errors

ROYAL Free staff repeated fatal errors contributing to the tragic death of a baby boy four years after a child died there in similar circumstances, a secret hospital document has revealed.
And a second confidential midwives’ report has implied that one of the midwives at the centre of the inquest into baby Riley Croft’s death two years ago, had been doing too much for the whole of the year owing to poor management.
It also stated: “The staffing ratio was not conducive to the provision of care in labour to the expected one-to-one standard.”
An investigation by a midwives’ body implied the midwife who took responsibility for his mother’s care had been given too much work.
This went against the hospital’s findings after the 2001 death, which said “co-ordinators” should take a less hands-on role.
The report said: “(The midwife) conducted more births than any other midwife during the last year. This is a surprising statistic for a shift co-ordinator and raises questions about resources or the understanding of this important role.”
Although Riley’s parents – BBC journalists Heather Paterson and Iain Croft – begged not to be left alone, they were abandoned for large periods of Heather’s nine-hour labour. The midwife told this week’s inquest she was distracted by another birth.
The report said combining the role of co-ordinator and personally caring for two women “compromised her ability to meet expected standards. (Guidelines) recommend… co-ordinators should be supernumery to direct care of women… for them to organise, advise and support staff.”
Reports into labour care at the hospital prove vital mistakes made in 2001 were repeated in the lead up to Riley’s birth. In both cases, double the hospital’s guideline amount of birth inducement drug Prostin was administered, and midwives failed to take adequate notes.
A hospital spokeswoman said: “The unit was fully staffed in line with establishment. There were eight patients and three were delivered. Five midwives were working as well as a student midwife and a healthcare assistant.”
Riley’s parents plan to sue the hospital over his death.

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