Ida Lock: Baby's inquest delayed amid 'whistleblower' claims

Ida Lock died in 2019 seven days after her birth at Royal Lancaster Infirmary

An inquest into the death of a baby has been adjourned after a whistleblower claimed hospital inspectors ignored safety concerns about a NHS trust.

Ian Kemp has raised concerns the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust was "covering up" the death.

The former health watchdog inspector said he had been asked to investigate maternity care at the trust in December 2019 after the death of Ida Lock.

He said the Care Quality Commission "watered down" his initial findings.

The senior coroner for Lancashire, Dr James Adeley, said he could not recall "in my 20 years as a coroner, a whistleblower coming forward three working hours" before an inquest was due to start.

A CQC lawyer, James Ashworth, told the court "the allegations are not recognised" by inspectors.

No date has been set for the next hearing.

Ida died at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary in November 2019.

The Morecambe Bay NHS trust initially denied any responsibility for her death but following years of campaigning by her parents to uncover what happened, the trust has latterly acknowledged "delivery issues" at her birth.

A 10 day inquest had been due to start in Preston on Monday.

The Morecambe Bay trust has previously been at the centre of a major inquiry into maternity failings.

The Kirkup review, published in 2015, found that poor care at the trust had led to the unnecessary deaths of 11 babies and one mother between 2004 and 2013.

Dr Adelely said at a previous hearing he was concerned the problems identified in the Kirkup report had not been tackled.

"That suggests a lack of learning from the report continues to exist, and continues to place lives at risk," he said.

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