Baby Wynter Andrews died 23 minutes after being born in 2019 at the Queen’s Medical Centre. Reports have shown that the Nottingham Magistrates Court heard “a catalogue of failings” which left Sarah (Wynter’s mother) and Wynter herself exposed to a “significant risk of harm”. The Nottingham University Hospital (NUH ) have pleaded guilty after admitting to medical negligence.
A loss of oxygen flow to the brain known as hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy is what Wynter died from, which could have been avoided had she been delivered earlier. An investigation into Wynter’s death held in 2020 revealed that Sarah was admitted to hospital 6 days after suffering contractions which was on the 14th of September.
The Maternity unit was too “busy” when Sarah Andrews arrived with information on her patient history which was not dealt with accordingly by other staff at shift changes. This led to Mrs Andrews being ‘misdiagnosed’ as being in a latent phase of labour although there were enough clinical signs suggesting she was already in established labour and needed a higher level of care.
These medical malpractices resulted in missed opportunities for doctors to take a closer look at the patient’s situation and monitor her accordingly. In addition to this, the midwive’s concerns in relation to possible infection were not picked up by the doctor who saw her the following morning.
On the 15th September at 14:05, the BBC reports that Wynter was delivered in ‘poor condition’ with her neck and legs being tightly wrapped by the umbilical cord. Attempts to resuscitate her were not made until 23 minutes later, which was too late as she died in her parent’s arms.
The district Judge said the following whilst passing judgement: “The catalogue of failings and errors exposed Mrs Andrews and her baby to a significant risk of harm which was avoidable, and such errors ultimately resulted in the death of Wynter and post-traumatic stress for Mrs Andrews and Mr Andrews.”
Sarah and Gary Andrews (Wynter’s parents) also made A brief statement after the hearing:
“These criminal proceedings are designed to act as a punishment and a deterrent. No financial penalty will ever bring Wynter back. We hope [the fine] sends a clear message to the trust managers that they must hold patient safety in the highest regard. Sadly, we are not the only family harmed by the trust’s failings. We feel that this sentence isn’t just for Wynter, but it’s for all the babies who have gone before and after her.”
Here at UKExpertMedical, we appreciate how traumatic these cases can be. Our team will always act in the best interests of the client and solicitor to prepare Medical Negligence Reports as quickly as possible, in order that the claim can progress to a prompt conclusion. Our Medical Negligence Reports now cover Dental Negligence cases. Get in touch with our team today.
