Tunbridge Wells doctor 'failed before Cappuccini death'

Frances Cappuccini died at Tunbridge Wells Hospital in October 2012

An anaesthetist displayed failings in his care of a mother months before he treated a woman who died after a Caesarean birth, a court has heard.

Dr Nadeem Azeez was told to undergo training after the first incident but continued working, jurors were told.

Seven months later he attended Frances Cappuccini, who died on 9 October 2012.

Dr Azeez is not on trial, having left the country. At Inner London Crown Court Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS denies corporate manslaughter.

Another medic, Dr Errol Cornish, of Holmbury Park, Bromley, London, denies manslaughter by gross negligence.

The court heard consultant anaesthetist Dr Cheron Bailey compiled a report into the first incident, in which a mother was resuscitated after a drop in her blood pressure.

She found inadequacies in the anaesthetic care provided, poor post-operative fluid resuscitation, inadequate preoperative paperwork, and failure to give intravenous antibiotics during surgery, jurors heard.

The court heard Dr Bailey spoke to Dr Azeez about detail and management of postpartum haemorrhage, and Dr Azeez had noted it had been a busy day on the labour ward but he saw it as useful reflection and a good learning experience.

When asked by prosecutor John Price QC if these were "straightforward and basic failings", she replied "yes".

But she also said a postpartum haemorrhage was not the sole responsibility of the anaesthetist, although she would expect him to lead the resuscitation.

The court heard Dr Bailey also investigated Dr Azeez after Mrs Cappuccini's death at Tunbridge Wells Hospital in Kent for a serious incident review (SIR).

In that report she said: "Dr Azeez needs a period of supervised practice and then further review (previous documented poor fluid resuscitation leading to critical incident)."

But when the review was sent to the coroner and hospital bosses, the part in brackets was omitted, the jury heard.

Karen Carter-Woods, who compiled the SIR, told jurors she could not remember who had removed it.

Dr Errol Cornish is accused of manslaughter by gross negligence

The court has heard Mrs Cappuccini, 30, had a Caesarean birth but lost more than two litres of blood and was taken into theatre where she was operated on but never woke up.

The prosecution has claimed Dr Azeez and Dr Cornish failed to ensure she safely came round from surgery when she had breathing difficulties following the removal of a tube.

And the prosecution also claims if one or both doctors are found to be grossly negligent the trust can be said to have employed someone it knew or should have known was not suitably qualified or trained for their role.

It is the first time an NHS trust has been charged with corporate manslaughter since the charge was introduced in 2008.

The trial continues.