East Kent Hospitals University NHS Trust have admitted to causing harm to seven-day-old baby Harry Richford, by failing to provide safe care and treatment.
The prosecution, which is the first of its kind, was brought by the Care Quality Commission.
Harry Richford died seven days after his emergency delivery at Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate in November 2017. An inquest previously found his death was “wholly avoidable”.
Harry was born by emergency c-section but prior to this there were significant delays in attempting an instrumental delivery and then further delays in delivering him eventually by emergency c-section. Due to significant brain injuries caused by the delays Harry passed away 7 days later.
Amongst numerous failings the inquest found locum doctor who attempted the forceps delivery was inexperienced, not properly assessed and there were further delays with resuscitation.
Tom and Sarah Richford have spent years campaigning for answers about why their son died and also fighting for better maternity safety.
The East Kent Hospitals University NHS Trust has admitted a charge of failing to provide safe care and treatment resulting in avoidable harm under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
Harry’s mother said the guilty plea in court shows the care she and Harry received was sub-standard, adding the family now have “some sort of justice for what happened”.
Following the court hearing today Harry’s family issued this statement:
“This plea is welcomed as it will avoid all the awful details having to be replayed in public once more.
“For the period of 2020 following Harry’s inquest, neonatal deaths have fallen in the Trust by 55% and still births by 20% compared to the previous 7-year average.
“This proves that with the right level of focus, leadership and attention, baby’s lives can be saved.
“Harry’s life and our sacrifice has made a significant difference here in East Kent and it must be maintained.”
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Trust said they are ‘determined’ to learn from the tragedy. Chief executive, Susan Acott, said: “We are deeply sorry that we failed Harry, Sarah and the Richford family and apologise unreservedly for our failures in their care.
If you have concerns relating to maternity care and the delivery of your child, our experienced clinical negligence team are on hand to speak with you.
WHAT TO DO NEXT
Get in touch today for a consultation in complete confidence. Choose one of the methods on the right-hand side of this page, or call us on 0113 200 9787 to find out how we can help you.
