Parents of baby who died in hospital say they pleaded with doctors for C-Section
The parents of a newborn tot who died in hospital say they begged doctors for a C-section - but were ignored, only for him to tragically pass away days later.
Patryk Bielaszka’s parents Grzegorz and Barbara said they pleaded with doctors for an elective caesarean section after a scan in her native Poland suggested he might have a condition which could be fatal to both the mum and baby. But they said that NHS doctors failed to heed their concerns.
During the labour blood vessels burst, causing a haemorrhage, which starved baby Patryk of oxygen during the emergency C-section that followed. The young baby’s life support was turned off at Kings College Hospital, in London, on November 2, 2019, and he died in his mum’s arms, ten days after his birth at Prince Royal Hospital in Orpington on October 24.
This comes as four years since the tragedy an inquest finally started this week. But the heartbroken parents were left fuming when they were told that key witnesses wouldn't be present. They took the decision to no longer be apart of the inquest, and submitted a written statement instead.
Barbara said she had gone for an ultrasound scan in Poland in August 2019 which showed a low-lying placenta and a condition called vasa praevia, where blood vessels passing from the baby to the mother are unprotected by the umbilical cord. A Polish doctor told her that Patryk would need to be born by caesarean section or he would not survive.
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Little Patryk was alive for 10 days (Supplied)On returning to the UK, Barbara, who was wrongly categorised as low risk by NHS doctors despite high blood sugar levels, told a doctor about the scan, MyLondon reported. She also had a scan in the UK on July 3, 2019, following which she should have been referred for a transvaginal ultrasound scan at 32 weeks. This scan would have detected vasa praevia and Barbara would have been referred for a caesarean section.
Speaking to the Mirror previously, the 38-year-old said: “When we presented them with the findings of the scan we’d had in Poland the doctor said that ‘everything was fine’ and ‘not to worry’ about it. They completely ignored me and wouldn’t even look at the scans. When we were in hospital we were also assured that everything was okay, but it wasn’t and we believe our baby died because they wouldn’t listen.”
Barbara went into hospital on October 23, 2019, to be induced. She tried to tell staff that she had unusual pains in her abdomen, but she claims that she was again ignored. “Whatever I said they just dismissed what I was saying and said I was being over dramatic,” she said.
The baby died in his mother's arms (Supplied)Lawyers for Patryk’s family argued that if they had taken the Polish ultrasound into account, and the findings of the scan on 3 July 2019, then Patryk would have been delivered by planned caesarean section and would still be alive today.
Barbara added: “Because of what happened we moved back to Poland, not only because of losing Patryk, but because I fell pregnant again. I couldn’t face the possibility of the same mistakes being made again and losing another child. We had moved to a bigger flat before Patryk was born so that we could have more room for him, but when we returned home it was just empty and silent. It was devastating and very difficult to live with.
“To make matters worse we kept on getting calls and letters from the NHS and the Department of Health trying to make appointments for our dead baby. If it wasn’t bad enough that their negligence led to his death, they kept on acting as if Patryk was alive. This was hugely distressing and carried on for a year. We had to keep on explaining to healthcare professionals reliving what happened. They only stopped when our solicitor asked them to do so. Now I just want answers and to make sure this nightmare doesn’t happen to anybody else.”
The couple have since returned to Poland and couldn't face having another child in the NHS (Supplied)Recalling that heartbreaking day, four years ago, she said: “Our lives changed forever when our beautiful son passed away in our arms. We still struggle to smile and feel crushed by what happened to him. We had multiple meetings with different people and instead of taking responsibility they tried to blame me because my English isn’t good enough. It’s been almost four years since we lost our boy and we haven’t even had an inquest. We just want answers and for somebody to take responsibility as in my mind they killed our child.”
Barbara and Patryk’s father Grzegorz, have since returned to Poland and had another child, they are taking legal action against King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust through Osbornes Law, for medical negligence. The Trust has admitted liability.
Nick Leahy, a specialist medical negligence solicitor from Osbornes Law, who represents the family said: “This is a truly tragic case that has understandably devastated the lives of my clients. Patryk’s parents were ignored by doctors, despite them having independent medical advice which showed Barbara’s pregnancy was at risk. Patryk’s death was completely avoidable, yet my clients feel that their poor English is being blamed for leading to what happened in this case.
"Sadly, I have acted in other cases in which parents’ limited command of English has led them to feel like their concerns are being ignored. My clients have understandably lost complete trust in the NHS as a result of these events.”
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Patryk's mum was ignored despite her repeated pleas to her doctors (Supplied)After waiting four years for an inquest, they slammed the NHS as a "joke" after being told that key witnesses would be absent from this week's hearing. Coroner Edmund Gritt was instructed by NHS legal representative Sarah Mortimer that midwife Olubunmi Adelaja was signed off work sick, while another doctor had moved to Hong Kong - outside the UK's legal jurisdiction.
Coroner Gritt said it was "very unlikely" the Chinese government would allow him to call the doctor for evidence. Ms Mortimer also said another witness still working at the NHS Trust "might be able to come", then later revealed there had been "some confusion" about the planned appearance of a Dr Lewis who Patryk's parents had named in their written evidence.
Coroner Gritt admitted he was "very very reluctant" to adjourn the long awaited inquest in light of the news, but added "given the importance of [Ms Adeleja's] evidence" he was willing to push it back after consulting Patryk's family. But Mrs Bielaszka was furious, and said: "The NHS is making a joke of our life. How come four years later all the professionals are departed?"
Mr Bielaszka was equally angry and expressed his resentment to the absent hospital employees before announcing the family no longer wanted any part in the inquest. "The hospital has already admitted responsibility in May. We would rather celebrate our child's fourth birthday without this explanation. We have already heard all this and do not want to take part," he added. Instead, the parents submitted a written statement to the court detailing what had taken place.
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust told The Mirror back in June: "“We offer our sincere condolences to Barbara and her family for their loss. For legal reasons we are unable to provide further comment at this stage.”
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