Blog 2 week 3

Blog 2, week 3

Newborn twins' hospital death avoidable, says mother

Morphine "likely to have played a role" in death of Alfie and Harry McQuillan from complications of prematurity, finds coroner

• guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 23 May 2012 13.32 BST

Stafford hospital's treament of the babies after their premature birth was 'suboptimal', according to the coroner. Photograph: Rui Vieira/PA

The mother whose newborn twins died following an overdose at hospital has described their deaths as "totally avoidable" after a coroner said there were failings in their care.

Alfie and Harry McQuillan, who were born 13 weeks premature, died on 1 November 2010. An inquest heard they had been given an "excessive" dose of morphine hours after their birth at Stafford hospital two days earlier.

Shoosmiths, the law firm representing the parents, said the South Staffordshire coroner, Andrew Haigh, had described the babies' treatment after birth as "suboptimal", adding that "there were failings in the care the twins received".

A spokesman for the company said the coroner, who recorded a narrative verdict at Cannock coroner's court, said the boys died from complications of extreme prematurity and that morphine was "likely to have played a role".

The twins' mother, Ami Dean, 25, from Stafford, said: "I could have coped with them dying from prematurity, as that would have been nobody's fault. However, their deaths were totally avoidable. They were down to human error, which is something I cannot cope with."

Maggie Oldham, chief operating officer at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Our deepest sympathy remains with Alfie and Harry's parents and their loved ones.

"We are very sorry that the care we provided was not good enough.

"This has been a long and difficult process for their entire family and our thoughts remain with them at this time."

Richard Follis, national head of medical negligence at Shoosmiths, said: "It is important that the coroner has highlighted where failings lay in the care provided to Alfie and Harry.

"Despite being born prematurely, both boys were good weights and were stable prior to the morphine overdose.

"This would appear to be a tragic case of - as the coroner put it – suboptimal treatment that could easily have been avoided."

Summary:
The article is about a twin who was born prematurely, they were born 13 weeks too early.  The staff of the Stafford Hospital has made some very bad decisions which influenced the health of the twin boys. The staff has given the boys and overdose of morphine which was not necessary at all. The mother says she could cope with the boys dying of being born prematurely but not because of the faults of human.  The boys would have been alive if it wasn’t for the morphine; their weight was stable prior to the morphine. The hospital admits to have made mistakes, if the parents are going to press charges against the hospital is unknown at the moment.  (118)

Review:
In my eyes a hospital should provide the care which is needed and should carefully diagnose patients. This is clearly not the case in the Stafford hospital, this is a very tragic event but I don’t believe this is an accident. The doctors and nurses should know how much morphine a child of that age should get, I cannot believe that the twins have died because of human mistakes. If I were the parents I would definitely press charges against the staff treating the twin at that time. I guess there will be an investigation and further details shall be shown in that investigation.  (104)