Parents say safeguards needed after baby's 'avoidable' death

John and Jane Brady's son died in Craigavon Area Hospital six days after he was born

The coroner at the inquest of a baby who died days after birth has said his death was avoidable.

Troy Brady was born in Craigavon Hospital at 33 weeks in August 2016 "in a state of collapse" and died in the neonatal unit six days later following a vaginal breech delivery.

The inquest heard he had suffered a severe amount of brain damage due to a lack of blood and oxygen supply.

Mr and Mrs Brady said it was their wish that "no other family should have to endure the pain and loss that we have had to endure."

The coroner said there were a number of "missed opportunities" in the care of both the baby and the mother and that the parents were not fully briefed on all of the risks involved in the delivery method and were unable to fully "consent" to it.

She said had they been, they may have made a different decision.

'Our loss continues'

The coroner began her findings by paying tribute to Mr and Mrs Brady and said it had been a "complex and difficult" inquest of a child who had "died in tragic circumstances".

Outside the court, a solicitor read a statement on behalf of the family reacting to the coroner's findings.

The family said: "When we reflected upon the traumatic events surrounding Troy's birth and subsequent death, we felt compelled to seek to establish the truth of what happened to our baby son.

"We believed then and we believe now that there were failings in the care provided both before and during Troy's traumatic birth," they said.

Mr and Mrs Brady said that their "loss continues".

They also said they hope that as a result of the inquest Craigavon Area Hospital and the Southern Health and Social Care Trust "will put in place and improve procedures and safeguards for dealing with expectant mothers and high-risk births".

"We believe that fully informed consent should form the basis of trust between medical staff and expectant patents," they said

"Parents should and must be provided with proper information and advice to enable them to make the best decision regarding mode of delivery for their baby.

"We believe that we were not provided with full and proper information".

'Lacked the experience to perform the procedure'

The coroner was also critical of the doctor who performed the delivery, Dr Sharma.

She said he "lacked the experience to perform the procedure" and should have consulted a senior doctor.

She ruled that the delayed vaginal delivery was a key factor in the child’s death.

A representative of the Southern Trust extended their condolences to the family in court at the end of the hearing.

'Complex and difficult'

Troy Brady's mother had previously told the court she had not been fully warned of the risks associated with the delivery method.

This is something that has been disputed by the doctors involved throughout the inquest.