Latest news with #neonatal
CTV News
a day ago
- Health
- CTV News
International Neonatal Screening Day
Atlantic Watch We chat with a genetic counsellor about the process of neonatal screening, and why it can be so beneficial.
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Health
- Irish Times
Limerick hospital apologises in High Court for baby's death at 16 weeks old
University Maternity Hospital Limerick has apologised after acknowledging it breached its duty of care to a baby boy who died following a delayed diagnosis. The apology came as the infant's mother settled her High Court action against the HSE over his death at 16 weeks old. 'We are deeply sorry for your loss and for the profound sorrow of being denied the opportunity to watch your beloved son grow and thrive,' the hospital said in a letter read to the court. Dr John O'Mahony SC, for the family, said the baby was doing well when he was born at Limerick hospital in January 2021. READ MORE However, when he was two weeks old his condition deteriorated and tests showed he had an E. coli meningitis infection. He was given antibiotics, the court heard. Dr O'Mahony said the baby's condition later deteriorated suddenly and he had a fever. He further deteriorated, requiring intubation and ventilation, the court heard. An MRI scan showed global ischaemia, which involves a reduced blood flow to the brain. The baby received palliative care, but died when he was 16 weeks old. In the letter, Ian Carter, the chief executive of HSE Midwest Acute Services Limerick, offered 'sincere and heartfelt apologies' to the mother and wider family 'for this failure'. The letter, written on behalf of the hospital and its staff, acknowledged a 'breach in our duty of care to your baby which resulted in a delayed diagnosis with devastating consequences'. In the family's case it was claimed there was a failure to take proper action in response to the baby's condition. The family also claimed there was a failure to recognise the baby's obvious signs of sepsis when he was moved to intensive care on February 19th, 2021, and a failure to ensure appropriate antibiotics were administered urgently. The claims were denied. The mother and the child cannot be identified by order of the court. Noting the settlement and the division of the statutory mental distress payment, Mr Justice Paul Coffey extended his sympathy to the baby's mother and extended family.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Broomfield Hospital's neonatal unit gets new £47k baby incubator
A hospital in Essex received a new piece of equipment, worth more than £47,000, to help reduce the risk of complications for premature or seriously ill Hospital's Neonatal Unit was given a transport incubator, which provided ventilation for newborns while they were being transferred from maternity machine could also be used to help transfer babies to other hospitals when the neonatal transport team were busy during peak new incubator was donated by charity, the Friends at Broomfield Hospital. Jackie Kane, ward manager of the neonatal unit, said: "This new equipment will make a big difference to both patients and staff. We are extremely grateful for the support from the charity."Alison Douglas, chairperson of Friends at Broomfield, said: "We are delighted to have been able to donate this wonderful piece of equipment to the neonatal team."The volunteers work incredibly hard to raise the funds, and to see how pleased the staff are with it is extremely gratifying. We hope that this will help many new mums and their babies." Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Lichfield dad's marathon thank you to 'life-saving' Birmingham hospital
A father is running six ultra marathons in six days (220 miles/354km) to raise money for the surgical ward that saved his newborn daughter's instructor Tom Penzer Adams, from Lichfield, Staffordshire, said seeing his daughter in intensive care at Birmingham Children's Hospital in October was "the scariest moment of my life." She was born with intestinal malrotation with volvulus - a twisted intestine - a life-threatening condition that left her unable to feed and doctors at the hospital operated when his daughter was just five days old. Her mum, Grace Penzer Adams said: "I don't think I stopped crying for 72 hours. I was an emotional wreck. "Walking to theatre behind her that night will haunt us for the rest of our lives." To raise money for the neonatal surgical ward, Mr Penzer Adams is running the ultra marathon challenge, starting in Dover on 1 marathons will start in Eastling, Longfield, Islington, Luton and Abthorpe with the final leg ending on 6 July at the hospital where her life was Penzer Adams has taken on charity challenges before, notably completing eight marathons in eight weeks in 2024, to raise money for a friend with muscular dystrophy. But he admitted his latest challenge was his toughest yet: "It's going to take a big toll on the body. "I don't really know what to expect by the time you get your teeth stuck in to day three, day four. But there's no chance I won't complete it, because I'm doing it for my daughter."Mr Penzer Adams' wife and daughter will cheer him on along the route and said they were "incredibly proud" of him. Claire Murray, a ward sister on the ward at Birmingham Children's Hospital said his efforts would raise vital funds for their work."We couldn't be more grateful for this tremendous effort on our behalf," she a fundraising target of £6,000, Mr Penzer Adams said he wanted to raise as much as possible to thank the medics who cared for his daughter."We owe the neonatal surgical ward our lives."It's a no brainer that we're raising as much as we can for the ward," he said. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Times
5 days ago
- Health
- Times
My pledge to fix maternity failings for grieving families
E ach week, the NHS welcomes about 10,000 babies into the world. The birth of a child should be the most joyful moment a parent ever experiences. But while the vast majority of births are without incident, for too many families in this country that moment has ended in tragedy — and heartbreak that never goes away. Over the past year I have met parents whose lives were forever changed by failings in NHS maternity care, including grieving parents who have lost babies. I have listened to them describe moments that should have been filled with love, replaced instead by trauma, confusion and unbearable loss. What they have experienced is more than unacceptable — it is a profound failure of the system that is supposed to care for them. And for too long, those failures have been met with silence and stubborn defensiveness. These families deserve justice. And they deserve to know that no other parent will have to endure what they have been through. That is why I am launching a national, independent and urgent investigation of NHS maternity and neonatal care, to begin this summer and conclude in December, alongside a set of immediate actions to begin improving safety and compassion. This investigation will focus first on the worst-performing services in the country, bringing long-awaited answers to hundreds of parents. But it will also take a broader look at the entire maternity system, bringing together the findings of past inquiries into one clear national set of actions to raise standards. I am also establishing a National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, which I will chair, made up of experts, staff, campaigners and representatives of the families, to help me drive improvement across the NHS. The taskforce will answer some of the most pressing issues the families have put at the top of the list, such as how we ensure that women and their partners are always listened to when they raise concerns, and whether we are getting better at spotting when things go wrong in units. Alongside this, we will start to tackle the deep inequalities facing black, Asian and disadvantaged women, and roll out a new digital system to all maternity services to flag potential safety concerns in trusts and support rapid action. There is a long road ahead and I will not pretend change will come overnight. But I can promise this: I will not look away. And I will not allow the system to hide from families any longer. Wes Streeting is secretary of state for health and social care
