Midwife ‘wrongly trusted’ doctors, inquiry into baby’s death told

Freya Murphy died a week after her birth at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow in July 2018.

NHS Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow (Jane Barlow/PA Wire). (PA Archive)

A midwife involved in delivering a baby who died a week after birth said she “wrongly trusted” doctors she had raised concerns with, a fatal accident inquiry has heard.

Freya Murphy died on July 28, 2018 in the neonatal intensive care unit at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, seven days after she was born in the maternity unit, the inquiry at Glasgow Sheriff Court was told.

Her mother Karen Murphy, 32, was admitted to QEUH on July 20 with her pregnancy pathway changed from green to red, indicating the risk level had increased, the inquiry heard.

Mrs Murphy, a teacher from Cambuslang, South Lanarkshire, was told to “push” at around 6.30am on July 21 but needed assistance for “poor” contractions and a cardiotocograph (CTG) showed “deep deceleration” in the fetal heart rate, the court heard.

Freya was born covered in “copious amounts of thick meconium” and given CPR, but she died a week later. A post-mortem examination gave her cause of death as global hypoxic ischaemic brain injury associated with acute chorioamnionitis.

The Murphy family questioned why the UK is not routinely testing for Group B strep, described as the “likely” cause of infection by neonatal expert Dr Michael Munro.

I felt like when I was asking for help, it was like I was wrong and they were right

Helen Kidd, midwife

A midwife who helped deliver Freya said she was not given written notes and was unaware that Mrs Murphy had experienced “low fetal movements” or that meconium had been spotted on a maternity pad, the inquiry was told.

Giving evidence, midwife Helen Kidd said Mrs Murphy’s contractions did not improve with an IV drip despite the dose being increased, and in a contemporaneous note written after the birth, Mrs Kidd claimed she “was not listened to” by medics.

Mrs Kidd’s solicitor Taylor Muir said: “Did you know during that period that Freya and Mrs Murphy had been infected with Group B strep?”

Mrs Kidd, 58, said: “No, we tested her urine to check for infection but there was nothing.”

Her written evidence said at 8.20am she raised concerns with Dr Felicity Watson, but when asked by Mr Muir “if she took you seriously”, Mrs Kidd said: “No.”

Mr Muir asked if Dr Marianne Ledingham “took you seriously” at 8.45am.

Mrs Kidd said: “No. I trusted her. I believed it was due to the ward being really busy. What I do know is the IV drip wasn’t working for Mrs Murphy as it should have and I felt that something else was happening.

“Dr Watson didn’t listen to me when I was trying to tell her about contractions, I was falsely reassured. I felt like when I was asking for help, it was like I was wrong and they were right. I wrongly trusted them. I have suffered greatly since, it has ruined my career.”

Mr Muir said: “Did you communicate your concerns to Dr Watson and Dr Ledingham?”.

Mrs Kidd said: “Yes. I did the best I could with the information I had. With hindsight I would have done it completely differently.”

She said the delivery was not “routine”, and added: “I had never seen a baby so visible who had been there for such a long time.”

Mrs Kidd said at 8.41am she shouted into the corridor as a “deep prolonged concerning deceleration” occurred, and seven minutes later Dr Ledingham arrived but left to attend to another patient, the inquiry heard.

The midwife said just before 9am she switched off the IV drip due to concerns and pressed a buzzer for help, but the drip was recommenced by medics, the court heard.

The Murphys’ lawyer, Alan Rodgers, said: “I just want to be clear over what your position is – between 8.15am and 9.15am you told us you were concerned. These notes might form a view that you thought this CTG was absolutely fine.”

Mrs Kidd said: “I think I was wrongly reassured by each doctor’s expert opinion that the CTG was acceptable.”

Mr Rodgers said: “Would it be fair to say these notes reflect medical staff view?”

Mrs Kidd said: “It reflects the advice I was given. It is common to see decelerations during contractions. Her contractions were so poor, it would go straight back to nothing.

“They weren’t expulsive, they weren’t effective. I didn’t understand why it was happening.”

Mr Rodgers said an internal review found that at about 8.20am, CTG was “pathological and necessitated urgent medical review”, the inquiry heard.

Claire Raftery, cross-examining for Dr Ledingham, said Mrs Kidd had “added” to notes on July 22, the day after Freya’s birth.

Mrs Kidd said: “I was so traumatised I didn’t get any time to make any notes, it was the next day I was able to write anything.”

The FAI continues before Sheriff Barry Divers.