Baby needs 24/7 care after maternity failures

Azlaan was born at Bradford Royal Infirmary earlier this year

The parents of a baby left with severe brain damage after failings in his care have said they hope a review into the hospital which treated him will prevent a repeat.

Muhammad Khan, who is known as Azlaan, requires round-the-clock care after he was starved of oxygen for 20 minutes before he was born at Bradford Royal Infirmary on 25 February.

"I don't think I have the right words to explain and describe how we as a family feel," said Azlaan's father Kamran Agha, 26.

A spokesperson for the trust which runs the hospital said it "sincerely apologised" for the family's "distressing experience".

Azlaan's mother, Javeria Arooj, 23, had attended the Maternity Assessment Centre on the evening before he was born after she became worried about reduced foetal movement.

She said staff told her they were unsure if her baby had an abnormal heart rate, with the situation monitored for improvements until a consultant arrived the next morning.

Javeria recalled the consultant making an immediate decision to perform a Caesarean section after examining Azlaan's heart rate.

He had to be resuscitated for 15 minutes after he was born and is now visually impaired. His parents have been told he has also been left with disabilities.

"It's completely changed our whole lives," said Kamran, who has left his career in IT to help his wife care for their first child.

"All of our dreams and goals in life have gone out of the window."

Javeria said hearing the news of her son's injuries left her "shattered".

"An apology can't change this," she said.

"I'm trying my best to give the best life he can have."

Javeria and her husband provide Azlaan with round-the-clock care

Javeria said Azlaan was prone to regular vomiting, so Kamran stays awake at night to keep an eye on him and prevent him from choking, while she cares for him during the day.

"We are very angry but there's only so much we can do," said Kamran, who admitted not working had taken a financial toll on the family.

"The only thing we can do is bring awareness to this sort of stuff so that it doesn't happen to another child."

Bradford Teaching Hospitals is one of 14 NHS trusts whose maternity services will be examined over "failures in the system", the government announced on Monday.

"We would have liked it to be a full public inquiry so every single hospital in the UK is looked into and good practices and guidelines are put in place," said Kamran.

"Families and children shouldn't suffer the way Azlaan and we have suffered.

"Hopefully this investigation stops, or at least reduces, these types of instances."

The family said the circumstances surrounding their baby's care were being investigated by the Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The trust spokesperson said it recognised the "significant impact" of Azlaan's injuries and their "life-long consequences".

"As a trust, we know the importance of giving every child the best start in life and for Muhammad we have not done so," they said.

"We have met with the family this week, to understand more about their experience including answering any questions they have and how we can work with them to make the improvements they rightly seek.

"We are sorry that we have not provided the high standards of care that Muhammad's family should expect of us."

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