A baby has been left with brain damage after medics at East Surrey Hospital delayed an emergency caesarean section by 30 minutes, despite his mother's desperate pleas for help. Shanine Skilton-Cole, 26, from Reigate, Surrey, was rushed to hospital in labour at 38 weeks. Staff raised concerns about her unborn son Cobie's low heart rate but took half an hour to order a specialist obstetric review before performing the C-section.
Cobie was born on July 18, 2022, weighing 7lbs 9oz, but required resuscitation due to oxygen deprivation. He is thought to have suffered a placental abruption, where the placenta detaches from the womb wall. Now aged three, Cobie has cerebral palsy, leaving him unable to walk or talk, and requiring round-the-clock care. His mother said: 'During labour I knew something wasn't right. I was scared and didn't feel listened to.'
Cobie spent his first 84 days in hospital and was readmitted until he was ten months old. Shanine, also mother to Beau, eight, and Arlo, five, said: 'Cobie can't hold his head up, he can't swallow, he's tube-fed, he has had seizures and needs constant care. This isn't the life I hoped for my son.' She instructed medical negligence solicitors Irwin Mitchell to examine his care.
An investigation found that after concerns about Cobie's heart rate at around 1pm, a further obstetric review should have been requested at 1.05pm but was not sought until 1.35pm. Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, which operates the hospital, acknowledged a breach of duty and confirmed Cobie should have been delivered 17 minutes earlier. The trust is now working with the family to secure a settlement for Cobie's lifelong needs.
Irwin Mitchell solicitor Richard Kayser said: 'Every second counts when delivering babies in distress. Cobie's case is yet another example of the need for meaningful action to improve maternity services.' A trust spokesperson said: 'We would like to extend our deepest apologies.'
