'Deficient' monitoring led to baby death - coroner

The death of a week-old baby was caused by a hospital's "deficient" monitoring of her failing heartbeat shortly before her birth, a coroner has ruled.

Delilah-Jayde Arnold died seven days after being born at Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) on 27 November 2024.

An inquest into her death at Wakefield Coroner's Court heard how an internal review had given the care Delilah-Jayde received the worst possible rating.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs LGI, said before the inquest's conclusion that its "deepest sympathies go to Kelly Harris and her family for the tragic loss of Delilah-Jayde".

The inquest had earlier heard from the baby's mum, Harris, who in a written statement said she had had "no issues at all" during pregnancy until the day before the birth, when she attended hospital after noticing reduced movement.

She said she was diagnosed with a water infection, prescribed antibiotics and then returned home, before going back to hospital the next day when her waters broke.

She described how midwives had struggled to attach a sensor to monitor the baby's heartbeat, but that she had then been "left for 45 minutes" before a decision was taken for her to have a C-section.

After the birth, the mother was informed that Delilah-Jayde had suffered a brain injury and was showing no signs of brain activity.

Machines supporting her were switched off six days after her birth and she died the next day.

Harris said she was later told by a consultant that had she been taken into theatre 20 minutes earlier, the outcome could have been different.

Delivering a narrative verdict, Assistant Coroner Oliver Longstaff said the monitoring of Delilah-Jayde's heartbeat was "deficient" and that was a direct cause of her ultimately fatal condition.

The court was told new regional guidelines around foetal heartbeat monitoring had been implemented since Delilah-Jayde's death. Had these been in place before her birth, she would likely have survived, it was said.

Speaking after the inquest, Harris said she hoped changes would be made to national guidelines, "so that other families don't have to go through this in the future".

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