Robert Goddard died aged 2 days old. An Inquest into his death heard that Robert’s mother had not been weighed at appointments in the antenatal assessment centre. Had she been weighed, it would have been found that she had a high BMI and she would have been referred for Consultant-led care with an earlier induction of labour. Furthermore, at another two appointments with community midwives, she was found to have raised glucose levels in her urine. Had this been acted upon, she would have been tested for and diagnosed with gestational diabetes and, again, referred for Consultant-led care. In fact, she continued with midwife-led care through the entirety of her pregnancy. When she was admitted to Lincoln County Hospital at 40 weeks + 6 days complaining of reduced foetal movements, a CTG trace was commenced. This was abnormal for three hours before a decision was made to perform a Caesarean section. Robert was born in a very poor condition, having suffered a lack of oxygen to the brain, and died two days later.
Mr S P G Fisher, HM Senior Coroner for Central Lincolnshire, delivered a narrative verdict, finding that failings in midwifery and obstetric care contributed to Robert’s death. The Inquest has attracted some press attention, which can be found here and here.
Pritesh was instructed by Fieldfisher.
