Ethnicity cited in baby death at North Middlesex hospital trust (July 2024)

Summary

This case study looks at the experience of a mother whose baby boy collapsed and died 31 hours after being born at North Middlesex Hospital University NHS Trust. Due to his mother's history of group B Strep and exposure to meconium during the birth, the baby was put under neonatal review. However, although his mother repeatedly raised concerns about her son's condition, he was not checked over and her concerns dismissed. A review by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) into the baby's death found several issues with the care provided to both mother and son. It also raised serious concerns that the mother's ethnicity affected the care she received on the labour ward.