Baby's Death: Home Birth Risks Exposed

A family in Warrington is seeking answers from Warrington Hospital following the tragic death of their 12-day-old daughter, Pippa. The infant suffered a severe brain injury due to a lack of oxygen during a planned home birth on August 25, 2024.

Concerns about staff shortages prompted the parents to opt for a home birth, believing it offered closer monitoring. However, the home birth team was attending another birth, and initial contact was delayed. The situation was exacerbated by staffing issues within the community team, leading to incomplete risk assessments and lack of information for the parents.

Further complications arose during the labor as monitoring of Pippa's heart rate was not consistently performed according to NICE guidelines. Despite difficulties, the baby was not transferred to hospital promptly. Pippa was born in a 'poor condition' and later confirmed to have a severe brain injury, passing away on September 5, 2024.

An investigation by the Trust identified several critical concerns, including inadequate risk assessments, insufficient equipment for simultaneous home births, and a lack of senior staff availability to escalate safety issues. There were also significant delays in recognizing and responding to difficulties in monitoring Pippa's heart rate, with an ambulance not called for 26 minutes after issues were noted.

Legal representation for the family stated that the monitoring not aligning with NHS guidelines and apparent impacts of staff shortages have compounded their grief. An inquest into Pippa's death is scheduled to take place at Cheshire Coroner's Court.