Home / Health / Hospital Played 'Russian Roulette' with Baby's Life
Hospital Played 'Russian Roulette' with Baby's Life
27 Jan
Summary
- Baby died due to avoidable delay in delivery.
- Inexperienced midwives scrambled due to staffing issues.
- Coroner recommends national guidance for home births.
A baby girl named Pippa Gillibrand died on September 5, 2024, following a significant brain injury sustained after an avoidable delay in her delivery at Warrington Hospital. Her parents, Victoria and Tom Gillibrand, had opted for a home birth, expecting experienced midwives who were unavailable due to staffing pressures.
Coroner Victoria Davies concluded that the home birth should have been cancelled. When midwives struggled to monitor Pippa's heart rate, an immediate transfer to the hospital was warranted. It is likely that earlier assessment and delivery would have prevented Pippa's death.
The inquest revealed missed opportunities to cancel the home birth and a failure to transfer the mother to the hospital promptly. Inexperienced midwives attended the home birth, facing competing pressures including short staffing.
Pippa's parents expressed their deep distress, feeling betrayed by the maternity service and living with a constant shadow due to her absence. The coroner plans to advocate for national guidance on home birth services.
Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust issued an apology, accepting the findings and stating they have since strengthened their home birth services and implemented recommendations from an independent review.
