Baby Luca should still be here - but errors were made

Coroner rules string of failures at hospital contributed to child's death

- JOHN SCHEERHOUT

THE death of a baby who survived just one day was contributed to by neglect by staff at a hospital maternity unit, a coroner has concluded.

Despite a routine pregnancy, Luca Yates died in the maternity unit at Tameside General Hospital less than 24 hours after his birth in 2022.

On Friday, a coroner concluded a string of failures in the care of his mother when she went into labour and in attempts to resuscitate her son contributed to his death.

Maternity staff didn't offer his mother Nicole Ditchfield the chance to stay in overnight when she came to the unit the night before as her contractions intensified. It was her first child. She told the inquest she was made to feel like she was being 'over-dramatic! When she returned the following afternoon - after 13 unanswered telephone calls to the unit - she was found to be fully dilated but, because no heart-beat could be detected, Luca was delivered by emergency Caesarean section.

Already in cardiac arrest, medics tried to resuscitate Luca but for 14 crucial minutes they administered oxygen at too low a concentration, the coroner ruled.