A heartbroken mother was left to discover her newborn baby dead on a sofa after a community midwife missed a scheduled vital home visit, a devastating investigation has revealed.
The tragic incident, which occurred in Westminster, has prompted a major internal investigation by the Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust. The trust has since issued a profound apology to the grieving family, admitting a serious failure in its duty of care.
The sequence of events leading to the tragedy paints a picture of catastrophic systemic failure. The mother, who had undergone a caesarean section, was deemed to require extra support and was scheduled for a post-natal visit from a midwife.
However, that crucial visit never happened. The midwife intended to conduct the check but failed to do so, leaving the vulnerable mother and baby without professional support.
Tragically, the infant was later discovered lifeless on a sofa. An inquest into the death heard that the midwife involved had an ‘excessive workload’ on the day of the missed appointment.
A serious incident report, conducted in the wake of the death, concluded that the missed visit was a key factor that contributed to the baby’s death. It stated that had the midwife attended, they would have assessed the sleeping arrangements and provided essential safe sleep guidance to the mother.
The trust has confirmed that significant changes have been implemented since the incident. These include a new policy that requires midwives to alert a manager immediately if they cannot complete a visit, ensuring no patient is ever left behind again.
This case has sent shockwaves through the local community and raised serious questions about the pressures facing maternity services within the NHS. It stands as a sombre reminder of the critical importance of postnatal care and the devastating consequences when it falls short.
