A lady has described her household as “damaged” after the dying of her three-day-old child woman.
Rosanna Matthews was born on November 20 2020 at Tunbridge Wells Hospital in Kent. She was in a coma from delivery and died three days later.
After two years of delays an inquest into Rosanna’s dying opened on the Archbishop’s Palace in Maidstone on Tuesday.
We have had sleepless nights, anxiousness, PTSD and we’ll by no means be fully proper once more
Elena Sala
Talking after the primary day of the listening to, Rosanna’s mom Elena Sala described the influence her child’s dying has had on her household.
She mentioned: “It has damaged us. We’re not the identical individuals we had been earlier than we had her.
“We’ve had sleepless nights, anxiousness, PTSD (post-traumatic stress dysfunction) and we’ll by no means be fully proper once more.
“We’re hoping massively for change. It was an pointless dying, from our viewpoint, it doesn’t have to occur to anybody else however I do know it most probably is.
“There must be correct training and coaching at that hospital.
“The delays to the inquest have delayed issues however I’m glad it’s lastly taking place so we will lastly get some solutions.”
Apart from some heavy discharge all through the later months, Miss Sala described her being pregnant with Rosanna as fully regular.
Rosanna Matthews (Household handout/PA)
(Matthews household)
She began experiencing contractions at 41 weeks and 6 days, on November 20 2020, and when she was examined at Tunbridge Wells Hospital she was 2cm dilated.
She was informed to go dwelling and return in two hours, which she did at 11.40am, by which period she was 3cm dilated. Usually she would have been despatched dwelling once more, however as a result of she was in a lot ache she was admitted to hospital.
Miss Sala began to really feel a powerful want to push from round 4pm however was suggested in opposition to this by midwives. She believes if she had begun to push when she felt the urge, her child may need lived.
All through her time within the hospital she obtained various kinds of ache aid together with gasoline and air and finally an epidural, however Miss Sala claims it didn’t have any impact and he or she was in ache whereas struggling “huge contractions” and being informed to not push.
Midwife Agatha Carter, who gave proof by videolink, mentioned Miss Sala twice declined a vaginal examination to examine how dilated she was, which might have led to progressing the labour and delivery.
Miss Sala mentioned she declined an examination as soon as as she wished to attend for the epidural, which was delayed as each obligation anaesthetists had been busy elsewhere, and added that the advantages of an examination in progressing labour weren’t defined to her.
Tunbridge Wells Hospital (Gareth Fuller/PA)
(PA Archive)
The household’s solicitors mentioned foetal and maternal coronary heart price monitoring was less than normal and motion was not taken when abnormalities had been detected.
After three failed makes an attempt to ship the newborn utilizing a vacuum cup, and an additional failed try with forceps as a result of ache felt by Miss Sala, she was taken to theatre for a Caesarean part and Rosanna was lastly born at 5.48pm.
Rosanna’s household, together with father David Matthews, who’re from Maidstone in Kent, are contemplating a scientific negligence declare in opposition to Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Belief, which runs Tunbridge Wells Hospital.
Their lawyer, Mark Bowman of Fieldfisher Solicitors, mentioned: “No household ought to have to attend two years and two aborted makes an attempt to undergo an inquest.
“We simply hope and anticipate the coroner will conduct an intensive investigation, classes will likely be discovered, errors received’t be repeated and different households received’t need to endure that.
“With a scientific negligence declare we might want to see how issues go over the following few days.”
