The grieving parents of a baby boy who died from a group B Strep infection after he was not given life-saving antibiotics have called for a ‘full review of UK maternity services’.
Tim and Hannah Taylor-Smith’s son Zachary lived for just 14 hours and an inquest has found that neglect by staff at Royal Derby Hospital contributed to his death.
Hannah was induced at 36 weeks due to her severe asthma and Zachary’s condition deteriorated shortly after birth, suffering respiratory problems. Midwives gave evidence that he was not reviewed by the neonatal team at birth and ‘incorrect’ actions were taken.
Hannah said: “Not one individual involved in my care recognised that antibiotics should be given to me during my labour due to Zachary’s prematurity, one simple action that the Trust agreed would have made a difference.”
She added that she was not aware of her baby’s higher risk of infection.
‘The Trust suggested that a short paragraph in the standard information given to all mothers was sufficient to alert us to the risk of GBS, but the coroner agreed it was not. She found that we should have been given specific information about the need for antibiotics when I was induced.’
Tim and Hannah Taylor-Smith outside Chesterfield Coroner’s Court after the inquest
Systemic Failings
Coroner Susan Evans stated there were ‘total and complete failures’ with regards to basic care and ‘gross failings’ in fundamental patient care. She acknowledged that Zac’s death could have been prevented and will be writing a prevention of deaths report.
Tim said: ‘The care we received was appalling. The midwives now acknowledge that videos we took showed signs of respiratory distress and by the time of the last review Zac was going into septic shock.’
He continued: ‘Zac was finally seen when we pressed the crash bell ourselves. By then it was too late to save him.’
The University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust (UHDB) said they were ‘deeply sorry for the failings in Zachary’s care, which we fully accept’.
The Trust said that since his death in November 2022, changes have been made to improve maternity services. Tim and Hannah dispute this claim, and believe systemic issues exist which will continue to result in tragic cases like theirs.
They said: ‘During the inquest, the hospital staff referred to ‘individual human error’ but we heard evidence that staff did not follow national guidelines and did not document or communicate their plans of care, even though Hannah’s was a high-risk pregnancy and Zac a pre-term infant.
Even after they had admitted that their negligent care caused Zac’s death the Trust’s lawyer was trying to suggest there were safe systems in place and that the coroner did not need to be concerned about any future deaths. We disagree.’
The couple are keen to emphasize that their loss is not an isolated incident:
‘We think there needs to be a full review of this country’s maternity services. This is not just happening in one Trust or in ‘dark corners’ of the NHS. It is widespread and babies are dying unnecessarily.’
Nicola Wainwright, a Partner at JMW Solicitors represented the Taylor–Smiths in court. Nicola is a member of the charity’s Legal Panel. She told us:
‘It is difficult to comprehend how a maternity service, which by its very nature specialises in caring for mothers and babies, showed so little regard to the risk of infection and one like Group B Strep when it can have such devastating consequences.’
Count Every Baby
Oliver Plumb, Advocacy and Information manager for Group B Strep Support said:
“Our thoughts are with Hannah and Tim, and all those close to them. It is heart-breaking to read that there were so many missed opportunities to help Zac, and that his family got to spend so little time with him.
Sadly, too many families in the UK are affected by group B Strep, and that’s why it’s so important every baby, like Zachary, is counted. Previous research suggests one-fifth of GBS infections may not get reported centrally, and the number of babies affected will be higher than initially thought.
We are campaigning for group B Strep to be added to the government’s list of notifiable diseases, this would be a vital step towards preventing these unnecessary tragedies, for babies and their families.”
Help us to add Group B Strep to the list of notifiable diseases by emailing your MP
