Ida Lock: Baby girl died from brain injury because midwives failed to provide basic care, coroner rules
A baby girl died from a serious brain injury because midwives failed to provide basic medical care, a coroner has concluded.
Ida Lock, who lived for just seven days, was born at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary in November 2019 but suffered a brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen.
She was transferred to intensive care at Royal Preston Hospital’s neonatal unit where she died a week later on 16 November 2019.
Ever since her death, Ida’s grieving parents, Ryan Lock and Sarah Robinson, have had to fight for answers.
Mr Lock said the hospital’s trust “put up a huge wall” when they tried to find out what had happened.
Ms Robinson says she was made to feel like she was to blame.
“It was was awful. It was so tough. My world had shattered, and I couldn’t figure out what had gone wrong, what I’d missed.”
An initial investigation carried out by the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust found no issues with her delivery.
However, in April 2020, a report from the independent Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) identified numerous failings in the care of Ida which contributed to her death, the hearing at County Hall, Preston, had previously heard.
Ryan and Ida Lock. Pic: PA
Ms Robinson says: “That’s the hurt, because that time that we’ve taken to fight and get these answers. And all along people had these answers, people knew, but they didn’t give them to us them.”
Midwives had failed to identify an abnormally slow foetal heart rate after Ms Robinson attended in early labour and then following birth there was ineffective resuscitation, the HSIB concluded.
This trust has faced serious criticism in the past.
A review into maternity care at Morecambe Bay in 2015 found 11 babies and one mother had died due to poor care.
The report’s author, Dr Bill Kirkup, gave evidence at the inquest and told Sky News it is “unforgivable” lessons have not been learnt.
He also chaired an investigation into maternity services in East Kent and found repeated and significant failings.
“These are not problems of isolated units, and it’s not a particular rogue unit that we’re talking about here. It’s a very widespread failure of culture in maternity services,” said Dr Kirkup.
Ida Lock died seven days after she was born. Pic: PA
The national maternity inspection programme carried out by the healthcare regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC) assessed over 130 units.
It gave ratings for safety and found 65% rated either “inadequate” or “requires improvement”.
Mr Lock believes there must be a change in culture.
He said: “There needs to be more accountability. If people feel they can get away with being deceitful and covering up the truth, then they’re going to continue doing that.”
Ms Robinson has since had another baby daughter but says her mental health has suffered.
“It’s changed me as a person. Five years on, the anxiety, the stress, it’s just constant. No one was open and honest with us. No parent should have to go through that.”
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Ryan Lock and Sarah Robinson
The family scattered Ida’s ashes on Morecambe Beach, close to their home.
Mr Lock says they often walk along this small stretch of sand which they call “Ida’s beach”.
He said: “She’s always going to be in our hearts, and that’s what’s driven us to continue, to keep going. We owe it to her.”
Delivering a narrative conclusion following the inquest on Friday, HM Senior Coroner for Lancashire, Dr James Adeley, said: “Ida was a normal child whose death was caused by a lack of oxygen during her delivery that occurred due to the gross failure of the three midwives attending her to provide basic medical care to deliver Ida urgently when it was apparent she was in distress.”
He added her death was contributed to by the lead midwife’s “wholly incompetent” failure to provide basic neonatal resuscitation for Ida during the first three-and-half minutes of her life, which further contributed to the infant’s brain damage.
Dr Adeley identified eight missed opportunities by midwives to alter Ida’s clinical course.
Counter-terrorism police are investigating after an incident involving a crossbow and a firearm left two women injured in Leeds.
Police were called to Otley Road at 2.47pm on Saturday to reports of a “serious incident involving a man seen with weapons”, West Yorkshire Police said.
Officers arrived at the scene to find two women injured – and a 38-year-old man with a self-inflicted injury. All three were taken to hospital, with the man held under arrest, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
“Two weapons have been recovered from the scene, which were a crossbow and a firearm,” Counter Terrorism Policing North East said in a statement.
The incident happened on the ‘Otley Run’ pub crawl, with one venue saying it was closed for the evening due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
Officers guard one of the crime scenes
Officers inside the cordon in Leeds
Counter Terrorism Policing’s statement added: “Due to the circumstances surrounding the incident, Counter Terrorism Policing North East have taken responsibility for leading the investigation with the support of West Yorkshire Police.
“Extensive enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances and explore any potential motivation.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described it as a “serious violent incident” and said she was being kept updated by police.
“Thank you to the police and emergency services for their swift response,” she said. “My thoughts are with the victims and all those affected by this attack.”
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Wrexham AFC have been promoted for the third season in a row.
The North Wales-based side has gone from the National League to the Championship in just three seasons, under its Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Wrexham were second in the table and had a run of eight games unbeaten ahead of their match against Charlton Athletic on Saturday, which they won 3-0.
Wrexham’s James McClean lifts the League One trophy. Pic: PA
Wrexham’s Dan Scarr celebrates with the fans on the pitch after Wrexham won promotion to the Championship. Pic: PA
It is the first time any club has been promoted for three consecutive seasons within the top five tiers of English football.
The third oldest association football club in the world, Wrexham AFC was bought by Reynolds and McElhenney in 2020, and has since been the subject of a Disney+ documentary, Welcome To Wrexham.
Reynolds, wearing a Wrexham sweatshirt, and McElhenney were pictured celebrating each goal, and after the game, as the fans came onto the pitch at the SToK Cae Ras (Racecourse Ground) to celebrate the victory with the players.
Wrexham co-owners Rob McElhenney (L) and Ryan Reynolds and Ryan’s wife Blake Lively, before the match. Pic: PA
Both stars came onto the pitch after the supporters returned to the stands.
Speaking to Sky Sports, McElhenney praised those behind the scenes, referring to “so many that don’t get the credit they deserve, people who aren’t talked about”.
Reynolds said bringing success back to the club “seemed like an impossible dream” when they arrived in North Wales in 2020.
Wrexham’s Sam Smith celebrates in front of the fans after Wrexham won promotion to the Championship. Pic: PA
He put the three promotions down to “the coaching staff, the greatest dressing room” and an “all for one, one for all” attitude throughout the club, adding he was “speechless with their commitment and their emotion”.
As for the mouth-watering prospect of another promotion to the promised land of the Premier League, the pair agreed it was “for tomorrow”, before ending the interview with a joint mic-drop.
Veteran striker Steven Fletcher said, “as soon as I came to this club, I knew it was something special. We want to go again. We’ll reset in the summer, take a break and go again”.
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