A fatal accident inquiry into the death of a baby girl at an Angus midwifery unit will reconvene on Monday.
Tragic Nevaeh Stewart died less than four hours after she was born in the pool at Montrose Royal Infirmary’s community midwifery unit, but the cause could not be established by post-mortem or an NHS probe.
The high-level inquiry at Forfar Sheriff Court heard in May how a neonatal transport team was dispatched to take the “pale” but seemingly healthy baby back to Ninewells Hospital in 2012 — but arrived to find midwives resuscitating her.
It heard evidence that Nevaeh, who did not rally following a chief medic’s attempt to save her, may have had a greater chance at survival if she had been born in a larger hospital, and that none of Scotland’s community midwifery units have “blue light” response in an emergency.
Dr Nicholas Connolly, now a consultant paediatrician at the Dundee hospital, was a specialist registrar sent to Montrose with advanced neonatal nurse practitioner Pamela Irving on the morning of September 30.
The pair expected to arrange a “safe” transfer for Nevaeh via the A90, without flashing blue lights, but were instead forced to take over the baby’s breathing, using advanced techniques and drugs in an attempt to stabilise her.
Although Dr Connolly was able to restore a healthy pulse, this soon faded and Nevaeh’s death was recorded after parents Kimberly and Gary Stewart from Auchenblae consented to end resuscitation.
When asked whether sick babies would have a greater chance of living if born at the hospital, Dr Connolly said: “I think their (general) chances are greater at Ninewells because of access to specialist services more quickly.”
The health board’s solicitor Mark Fitzpatrick asked whether babies could “collapse for a reason that is never determined” at any facility, including Ninewells.
Dr Connolly confirmed this.
“We would have expected some warning of what was going to happen,” he said.
“We don’t know why she was so unwell.”
The inquiry, in front of Sheriff Pino Di Emidio, will hear further evidence this week.
