NHS Highland Investigates 'Potentially Avoidable' Death Of Newborn Baby
A health board is investigating the ``potentially avoidable'' death of a newborn baby at a maternity unit.
A health board is investigating the potentially avoidable'' death of a newborn baby at a maternity unit.
NHS Highland has put temporary new arrangements in place following the recent death of the infant delivered at Caithness Maternity Unit, but bosses said an initial review did not find any failings in the care provided by individual staff.
The health board said the infant's death might have been avoided if there had been more timely and immediate access'' to advanced support at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
NHS Highland said the unit will now operate similarly to a community midwife-led unit in the short term, while still retaining access to urgent locally based consultant obstetrician support if needed.
It means the threshold for transfer to Raigmore Hospital pre-birth, during labour, birth and the post-natal period will be lower, with the result that more mothers will be transferred than are currently.
The health board confirmed that the new arrangements will remain in place pending the outcome of a significant adverse event review, which is already under way.
Dr Rod Harvey, medical director for NHS Highland, said: This is a very tragic case and our thoughts and condolences are with the family.
Regrettably our preliminary investigations have determined that this death was potentially avoidable had different arrangements been in place to ensure more timely and immediate access to advanced paediatric support facilities at Raigmore Hospital.
Having considered the events leading up to the death and in order to ensure that as far as is possible these circumstances do not happen again, the clinical team have made a number of recommendations that have already been put in place.
These changes are to improve the safety of mothers and babies during labour and birth in the Caithness Maternity Unit while we await the outcome and implications of a more detailed review of this case.
While our initial review did not find any failings in the care provided by individual staff it did highlight a number of issues concerning the current arrangements and protocols for neonatal paediatric risk assessment and support, which now need to be reviewed to ensure the safety of both mothers and new born babies in the future.''
He added: I have personally met with the family and have explained to them our preliminary findings and how we plan to conduct the review.''
Caithness General is classed as a consultant-led maternity unit with no neonatal intensive care unit facility.
Care is delivered by midwives supported by three consultant obstetricians, and while there are monitoring facilities for newborns and anaesthetic support, there are no paediatric facilities on site.