Premature baby left to die alone in hospital sluice room.

by Syl Fri Nov 25, 2016 1:00 pm

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/mums-babies-died-after-shameful-9322311

It's hard to imagine how anyone, let alone one in the caring profession, can be so heartless. The local BBC radio reported the baby was left alone next to unemptied bed pans and hospital waste.

"Bad medical decisions, poor attitude and chronic staff shortages led to the deaths of mums and babies under NHS care, a secret report reveals.
The findings of a review into North Manchester General and Royal Oldham hospitals detail horrendous incidents - including a very premature baby left to die alone in a sluice room used for the disposal of medical waste.
In another case a mum died of a "catastrophic haemorrhage" after her symptoms were put down to mental illness.
Woeful lapses in maternity care have been revealed in the secret report - only released after a fight by the Manchester Evening News (MEN)."

by Miffs2 Fri Nov 25, 2016 1:30 pm

God almighty. Two hours, two hours that poor little soul took to die. I know the baby couldn't be saved but she could have been cared for until she passed away. What sort of heartless bastard could do that?

by Major Fri Nov 25, 2016 4:52 pm

I wonder if anyone will be sacked???

by eddie Fri Nov 25, 2016 5:16 pm

The report found the tiny premature baby was left to die alone in the hours after her birth, rather than being nursed as she passed away.

The baby had been born very early, just before the ‘legal age of viability’, meaning staff – as per guidelines – did not attempt to resuscitate her.

But the report says basic compassion was missing.

"When the baby was born alive and went on to live for almost another two hours, the staff members involved in the care did not find a quiet place to sit with her to nurse her as she died, but instead placed her in a moses basket and left her in the sluice room to die alone," it says.

Words fail me.

by Spindleshanks Fri Nov 25, 2016 8:07 pm

Strikes me that a lot of the problems here came down to a chronic shortage of staff.

58 new midwives started work over the two hospitals since April, with 31 of those starting just last month. That is a huge intake of staff over a very short space of time.

by magica Sat Nov 26, 2016 12:38 pm

I read this and cried. That poor baby, left alone in a sluice bowl to die and the heartbroken mum who could've held her baby and got solace from that.

Its bloody disgusting.

by Syl Sat Nov 26, 2016 12:43 pm

I think shortage of staff is a huge problem in hospitals, but it should never ever get to this.

It's like we are losing the very basics of human kindness....to imagine that tiny life ebbing away alone and probably suffering dreadfully....it's inhumane.

by magica Sat Nov 26, 2016 12:44 pm

Syl wrote:I think shortage of staff is a huge problem in hospitals, but it should never ever get to this.

It's like we are losing the very basics of human kindness....to imagine that tiny life ebbing away alone and probably suffering dreadfully....it's inhumane.

Shortage of staff is no excuse. They could've given baby to the mother to cuddle and cherish baby in the last throes of life.

by nicko Sat Nov 26, 2016 2:03 pm

Don't believe all Nurses are Angels, some are uncaring bastards.

by Guest Sat Nov 26, 2016 2:06 pm

It's a difficult and stressful job though, nicko, bound to be a few that flip.

by Spindleshanks Sat Nov 26, 2016 3:10 pm

magica wrote:
Syl wrote:I think shortage of staff is a huge problem in hospitals, but it should never ever get to this.

It's like we are losing the very basics of human kindness....to imagine that tiny life ebbing away alone and probably suffering dreadfully....it's inhumane.

Shortage of staff is no excuse. They could've given baby to the mother to cuddle and cherish baby in the last throes of life.

Assuming the mother wanted to hold the baby.

by magica Sat Nov 26, 2016 3:20 pm

Spindleshanks wrote:
magica wrote:

Shortage of staff is no excuse. They could've given baby to the mother to cuddle and cherish baby in the last throes of life.

Assuming the mother wanted to hold the baby.

I think that was the problem, the mother never knew it was left to die in a sluice room, probably thought it was already dead. That's my understanding, even if she thought it was dead, she could've held it, so maybe she didn't ask

by Spindleshanks Sat Nov 26, 2016 3:25 pm

magica wrote:
Spindleshanks wrote:

Assuming the mother wanted to hold the baby.

I think that was the problem, the mother never knew it was left to die in a sluice room, probably thought it was already dead. That's my understanding, even if she thought it was dead, she could've held it, so maybe she didn't ask

I don't know how you came to that conclusion as the article gave little information other than the baby was placed in a basket in the sluice room.

by Syl Sat Nov 26, 2016 5:01 pm

This article contains a bit more info.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-38086122

"The document described how a premature baby had arrived "just before the legal age of viability" - at 22 weeks and six days - but staff did not find "a quiet place" for the child's mother "to nurse her as she died and instead placed her in a Moses basket and left her in the sluice room to die alone".

by Spindleshanks Sat Nov 26, 2016 5:05 pm

Syl wrote:This article contains a bit more info.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-38086122

"The document described how a premature baby had arrived "just before the legal age of viability" - at 22 weeks and six days - but staff did not find "a quiet place" for the child's mother "to nurse her as she died and instead placed her in a Moses basket and left her in the sluice room to die alone".

Thank you.

Would the room the child was born in not have been a quiet place?

I'm not quite sure I fully understand why the child was taken from her mother and placed in a sluice room at all.

by Syl Sat Nov 26, 2016 5:12 pm

Spindleshanks wrote:
Syl wrote:This article contains a bit more info.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-38086122

"The document described how a premature baby had arrived "just before the legal age of viability" - at 22 weeks and six days - but staff did not find "a quiet place" for the child's mother "to nurse her as she died and instead placed her in a Moses basket and left her in the sluice room to die alone".

Thank you.

Would the room the child was born in not have been a quiet place?

I'm not quite sure I fully understand why the child was taken from her mother and placed in a sluice room at all.

I don't understand why either. On the local news it simply said what the paragraph above said, and also that the baby was found next to unemptied bedpans....which actually made me cry.

by magica Sat Nov 26, 2016 9:36 pm

I didn't see she was put in a Moses Basket, my error.

Why leave the baby alone though, I don't understand that.

by Spindleshanks Sat Nov 26, 2016 10:17 pm

magica wrote:I didn't see she was put in a Moses Basket, my error.

Why leave the baby alone though, I don't understand that.

I don't understand that either but if the unit was a short staffed as it seems to have been from what the article seemed to imply, if it was a busy place with lots of women in, it could just have been that there was no staff available to be with the baby.

If that's the case horrible as it might be this baby had no hope, with a lack of staff and women needing to be attended to, then i guess they would take priority.

by Guest Sat Nov 26, 2016 10:58 pm

The important sentence:

"The document described how a premature baby had arrived "just before the legal age of viability" - at 22 weeks and six days - but staff did not find "a quiet place" for the child's mother "to nurse her as she died and instead placed her in a Moses basket and left her in the sluice room to die alone".

Medical staff often don't intervene to save babies born under 24 weeks (abortions can be done up to that time) - hospitals are only obliged to intervene and revive babies born after 24 weeks.

It's perfectly possible the mother was told it was stillborn and could have been ill herself with complications.

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