'Our baby went black and died while six years later we still have no answers'
A grieving family whose 11-day-old daughter died from a hospital infection six years ago have “waited too long for answers” from medics.
Theresa, 42, and Matthew Smith, 53, have been banned from speaking about the death of their baby daughter Sophia after she picked up an infection at Glasgow’s Royal Hospital for Children for legal reasons. Little Sophia Smith was just days old when she died unexpectedly in the hospital. The baby had a few issues at birth but her parents were not overly concerned at first. But when she was only a few hours old she was transferred to the Glasgow Hospital from the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley with breathing difficulties. Her mum and dad were assured the hospital had specialist equipment and would get Sophia well quickly.
Teresa and Matthew have been waiting years for the Scottish Hospital Inquiry (Daily Record)Over the course of a few days the machines helping to keep the tot alive grew fewer in number and about six days after her admission to the hospital medical staff started talking about her getting home, the Daily Record reports.
The couple had been looking forward to getting her home for Easter but that was the day they took her little broken body home. On the tenth day, her mum had told staff she thought Sophia looked pale, uncomfortable and was struggling to move. She had a feeling something was wrong but she was made to feel like an over-anxious mother. However, the tot had picked up a rare toxin infection, MSSA-PVL, similar to MRSA, a variant of staphylococcus aureus, which later developed into sepsis. And within hours, on April 11 2017, she died in her mother’s arms.
However, the family believe things may have turned out differently if action had been taken when Theresa alerted staff to her concerns. By the time she died, the lower half of Sophia’s body had turned black with sepsis which the family insist must have been obvious to the medical team. The couple begged medics to save her but it was too late. It was traumatic for her parents to see their little girl suffer the most undignified death.
Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him
Her body was in such a poor state they were advised not to see Sophia in the funeral home. Six years on the couple’s nightmare is continuing with no end date in sight for the inquiries. They visit the graveyard almost every day to see the little girl they called their Warrior Princess.
Local Member of Scottish Parliament (MSP) Paul O’Kane hit out as yet more delays to the Scottish Hospital Inquiry means families like the Smiths are still waiting for explanations around the death of their loved ones. O’Kane called the resignation of multiple lawyers from the Scottish Hospital Inquiry as “evidence of real challenges” and said that his constituents “deserve conclusions and the truth”.
O’Kane, Labour MSP for West Scotland, said: “One of the very first issues I got the chance to raise at Holyrood was the shocking struggle Matthew and Theresa Smith were going through to get answers about what had happened to their young daughter Sophia, and, incredibly, almost two years on they’re still waiting for those answers.”
The Daily Record revealed that a separate criminal investigation led by Police Scotland, which was launched two years ago, is also looking into Sophia’s death. The inquiry is investigating at least four other deaths on the QEUH campus - including that of 10-year-old Milly Main. Milly Main had been in remission from leukaemia when her catheter became infected.
An official probe concluded Milly had “probably” died after catching a water-linked infection at the hospital in 2017. But the little girl’s family were unaware of the link until years later when the paper carried a story from a whistleblower about water-linked infections in children in QUEH cancer wards.
O’Kane said: “Quite frankly, making heartbroken parents just accept delays and uncertainties is shoving salt into a wound. I am calling for my constituents to get what they should have never had to ask for, the truth. The departure of multiple lawyers from the inquiry is evidence of yet more delay in getting to that truth. We need this inquiry to deliver and we need it to be transparent, it cannot be allowed to become an extension of the failure that has already caused so much pain.”
Teresa and Matthew told the Record that for legal reasons they could not discuss Sophia’s death. The couple were also prevented from speaking ‘live’ during the evidence session of the inquiry and their comments were heavily redacted. Lord Brodie, the judge in charge of the inquiry, ruled parts of their evidence could “cause public alarm” and damage the reputations of clinicians and officials, without them being able to contest what was being said.
A spokesman from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: “Our thoughts remain with the Smith family, but it would be inappropriate to comment further.” A spokesperson from Police Scotland would only say: “Police Scotland is engaging with partners including the Scottish Government and others during the investigation into the deaths at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
A spokesperson for the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry said: “The Scottish Hospitals Inquiry has announced hearings for Edinburgh to commence in February 2024 and for Glasgow to commence in August 2024. The timings of the Glasgow hearings are in line with our investigative plan for the QEUH which was set out in March 2023 and have been unaffected by the change in counsel.”
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