Death of Creswell newborn baby at Chesterfield Royal Hospital could have been avoided, coroner says

Brody Holland passed away at the Calow hospital just one day after his birth.

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An inquest this week heard that had Brody been treated sooner for sepsis caused by the bacterial infection Group B streptococcus, he probably would have survived.

Chesterfield Royal Hospital has apologised and insisted ‘a number of improvements have been made’.

Brody’s inquest concluded at Chesterfield Coroner’s Court on Thursday.

Peter Nieto, area coroner, said: “Brody died in hospital on October 5 2019, the day after his birth, due to sepsis following him becoming infected with Group B streptococcus, which was being carried by his mother, and is a common bacteria carried by pregnant women.

“On the evidence, and as accepted by the hospital, Brody's death would likely have been avoided if his infection risk had been fully considered, and if antibiotic treatment had been started sooner.

“Newborn babies have a very good prognosis for early onset sepsis if adequately treated, and Brody had been born in otherwise very good health.”

Recording a narrative conclusion, Mr Nieto said: “Brody died due to his bacterial infection risk not being recognised and delay in his treatment for sepsis.”

After the inquest, Brody’s mother Nicola, of Creswell, said she finds it ‘incredibly difficult to accept that Brody isn’t here’.

"I know there's nothing I can do to turn back the clock and change what happened that day, but at least I now have some answers as to why Brody was taken so soon,” she said.

“Nothing will ever make up for the loss and pain I continue to feel.”

She previously told the Derbyshire Times: “Not for a second did I ever think I would lose him.

“Being told that he had died was absolutely devastating.

“My children mean the world to me and not a day goes by when I don’t think of Brody and how I’ll never see him grow up or mark the milestones that the others have.”

‘We are sincerely sorry’

In a statement provided to the Derbyshire Times earlier this year, Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust acknowledged ‘shortcomings in the standard of care provided’.

These included a failure to ensure a process was in place to make staff aware that Brody needed further monitoring.

The trust further accepted that, on the balance of probabilities, had Natalie been treated with antibiotics for Group B streptococcus during labour, Brody ‘would have survived’.

A trust spokesperson said: “We are sincerely sorry for the events surrounding Brody’s care.

“A number of improvements have been made to raise awareness of Group B streptococcus, including strengthening the paediatric care pathway for babies and pregnancies where the development of GBS has been identified as ‘at risk’.

“This means that alerts are put in place much earlier in the pregnancy to make sure that it features as part of the overall plan and care of mother and baby.

“We know that none of this will compensate for the loss of Brody.”