Personal injury advice from
Thompsons Solicitors
Mother Questions Hospital’s 'Catalogue of Errors' Following the Death of her Baby
6th June 2007
The mother of a baby boy who died within hours of his birth believes her son might still be alive if hospital staff had not made a catalogue of errors and paid more attention to his well-being. Mrs Jackson, of Timperley in Cheshire, says that the death of her son, Clark Jackson, raises serious question marks over the professionalism, integrity and honesty of staff at Wythenshawe Hospital.
Medical Negligence
Mrs Jackson was admitted to the Hospital five weeks before the birth of Clark on the 11th of April 2004. Although Clark was born prematurely, weighing 2.2lbs, Mr and Mrs Jackson felt that given all of the medical statistics, he should have stood a very good chance of survival as he was breathing, kicking and showing normal signs of life.
Despite being in labour and in the delivery suite for 17 hours, no-one checked to see if Mrs Jackson was dilating. This is because there was miscommunication between the doctor on duty and midwife, which has been admitted by the hospital. When Clark was born, no medical staff were in the room, and no adequate preparations had been made to ensure that Clark received the immediate care necessary.
Medical Misdiagnosis
Because he was born prematurely and experienced breathing difficulties, Clark’s chest was x-rayed. This was reported as showing that he had a right-sided pneumothorax when in fact it was on the left. Even after the doctor realised there was an error (concerning the pneumathorax) and this was identified, it was already too late.
Clark died at 8.50pm in his mother’s arms, 11 hours after he was born.
"It’s left us with the question ‘what if?” says Mrs Jackson. “I was in the hospital for five weeks, yet when the moment came to ensure the safest possible delivery, the hospital staff just weren’t there doing the basic things they should have been. What’s even more alarming is that certain medics at the hospital made serious communication and medical errors and simply tried to cover them up."
"I had to insist on seeing Clark’s medical records. If I hadn’t, we would have been brushed aside with the explanation that he was simply too poorly and wouldn’t have made it anyway. I have to ask, why are these people still employed? Why haven’t they been investigated properly for their actions? Getting left and right mixed up has killed my son.”
Commenting, the family’s representative at Thompsons Solicitors, Adam Smith, said: “This is an alarming and tragic case where hospital staff made fundamental errors. The Hospital has admitted an incorrect diagnosis which led to Clark’s death. It was important for the family to get as much as possible to the root of the truth.”
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