A newborn baby girl tragically lost her life after blundering doctors ignored her mother's desperate pleas for a C-section that could have saved her. Divya Rajesh was admitted to Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford, Essex, at 35 weeks in pre-labour, with tests revealing her unborn baby had an abnormal heart rate.
Parents' Pleas Dismissed
Divya and her husband Rajesh pleaded with doctors to carry out a caesarean section, firmly believing it was the safest option for delivering their unborn daughter. Despite their desperate appeals, doctors dismissed the couple's concerns and pressed on with attempting a natural birth.
Following a mix-up, Divya, 34, was transferred off the labour ward and moved to a day assessment unit, where she was not given regular monitoring. It was more than four hours later that doctors finally delivered her daughter Neha via emergency caesarean.
Devastating Outcome
Devastatingly, the delay meant Neha suffered a hypoxic brain injury and pulmonary hypertension, and she died just 13 hours old on May 8, 2024. Heart-wrenching photographs show Rajesh tenderly cradling his baby daughter following the withdrawal of treatment, shortly before she passed away.
An inquest heard that medics at Broomfield Hospital were guilty of multiple errors in the lead-up to Neha's death. Essex Coroner Sonia Hayes highlighted a lack of a plan surrounding Neha's delivery and a failure to provide holistic care. She concluded that had Neha been delivered earlier, her life would have been prolonged and the hypertension probably avoided.
Parents' Heartbreak
Neha's heartbroken parents have since instructed medical negligence solicitors Slater and Gordon to examine the hospital's actions. Rajesh, 40, said: 'As parents we tried to explain our concerns and how worried we were about our baby. However, it often felt as though our voices were not heard.'
'We trusted the hospital and believed that our baby was in safe hands. Learning that there were points where different decisions or actions might have changed the outcome leaves us with deep sadness, frustration and heartbreak.'
'The last two years have been the most painful and difficult time of our lives. Losing Neha has left a deep and permanent void in our family. Every day we think about the life she should have had and the memories we will never get to create with her.'
'Instead of watching her grow, we are living with grief and the constant thought that things might have been different if our concerns had been taken seriously.'
Call for Improvements
The couple, who also have a four-year-old daughter Saatvika, are now calling for improvements to procedures for caring for women during labour. Rajesh added: 'Much of the past two years has been spent trying to understand what went wrong and why our worries as parents were not properly heard when we repeatedly sought help.'
The couple claim Divya was referred as an emergency at the hospital but it still took more than four hours for a caesarean section to be arranged. Neha was also not intubated for more than two hours following her birth, despite experiencing difficulties with oxygen intake.
It wasn't until 5pm that a caesarean was advised by medical staff, but Neha wasn't delivered until 10.56pm. Following delivery, Neha required resuscitation but wasn't intubated until concerns were flagged by nurses on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Tragically, just hours later, at 1pm on May 8, she passed away in her father's arms after her care was withdrawn.
Trust Acknowledges Failures
Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust has acknowledged that Neha should have been delivered sooner. The couple's solicitor Emily Welstead said: 'Divya and Rajesh have suffered the most unimaginable loss and are understandably traumatised by the way they lost their precious daughter. To know things could have been so different had they received the care and compassion they were entitled to expect is absolutely heartbreaking.'
Christine Blanshard, Chief Medical Officer for Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said: 'We offer our sincere condolences to Neha's family. Shortly after Neha's death we carried out an investigation and found areas where the care of her and her mother could have been better. This included listening properly to the parents' concerns, more observations, better handover between shifts and closer monitoring. We have taken learning from this sad death and are working with our obstetric teams to improve monitoring and ensuring more detailed clinical handovers between teams.'
