Archie Batten: Hospital failings contributed to baby's death, coroner finds

Archie's parents Richard Batten and Rachel Higgs said previously it was difficult to comprehend the mistakes that were made

The death of a baby boy hours after his mother was turned away from a maternity unit was due to natural causes "contributed to by neglect" and "gross failure", a coroner has ruled.

Archie Batten died on 1 September 2019 at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital (QEQM) in Margate, Kent.

Rachel Higgs was initially turned away because the maternity unit was full.

The head of the hospital trust has apologised, and said changes have been implemented.

Ms Higgs was seen at home by midwives, but taken back to the QEQM by ambulance when they realised it was an emergency case.

Archie was born, but only lived for 27 minutes due to a hypoxic brain injury caused by prolonged labour.

Coroner Sonia Hayes told the court she was satisfied that a "gross failure to provide basic medical checks" led to Archie's death.

East Kent Hospitals Trust is at the centre of a review into its maternity care

Ms Hayes said Archie was showing signs of foetal distress "that should've been acted upon", and had he been admitted to the QEQM hospital earlier he "would've been born without injury in hospital".

She said the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust did not have a clear plan for labour, had "no oversight" and missed opportunities.

In a statement following the inquest's conclusion, Archie's parents Rachel and Andrew said: "Listening to all the evidence in the case has been hard. It seems incredible to us that so many basic mistakes were made by so many people on the day of Archie's birth and death.

"We think about him and miss him every day and always will. Nothing can bring him back to us. We can only hope that true lessons will be learned from his case and lasting changes made to ensure that other families do not suffer such tragedies in the future."

The trust is at the centre of a review into its maternity care.

Chief executive Tracey Fletcher said: "I apologise unreservedly to Archie's parents and family for Archie's death.

"We fully accept the coroner's findings and conclusion today and we are deeply sorry for the failings in the care provided to Archie and his family.

"We have made - and continue to make - changes and improvements to the quality and safety of our maternity service.

"Since Archie's death, we have made changes to how we care for women and babies during a homebirth, and to how we provide the service when the hospital maternity units are busy."

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