A HOSPITAL boss told an inquest there were lessons to be learned after a newborn baby died following a delayed emergency birth in Hereford.

Mum Hayley Jones said she was concerned Hereford County Hospital failed to act quickly enough to deliver son, Harley Keddie, who died on March 22 from brain damage.

On March 20 there was a delay in giving Miss Jones an emergency caesarean section as the baby’s heart rate began to drop dramatically low.

The inquest at Herefordshire Coroner's Court yesterday heard there was no theatre available initially and so doctors attempted a ventouse delivery, which failed.

By the time Harley was delivered, it was 34 minutes since the initial decision for a c section- four minutes longer than the recommended time.

Dr Sally Stucke, Wye Valley NHS Trust medical director and consultant paediatrician and , said: "I would really just like to say on behalf of the team and on behalf of the NHS trust, I would like to say to the family I am really very sorry for your loss.

"It is an extremely difficult case. I can assure you there is no-one in the team who isn't aware of it and there are lessons that we need to learn and we have learned those lessons."

Miss Jones was 37 weeks pregnant, when she went into the hospital on March 20 with partner, Daniel Keddie.

As her baby’s heart rate began to drop, consultant obstetrician Dr Robert Subak-Sharpe decided an emergency c section was needed and a code red was called at 11.40am.

He said: "This was now becoming a desperate situation accelerating very quickly from concern to a desperate situation."

The maternity theatre was unavailable as it was occupied with another patient and the high dependency unit, which is also used as a theatre, also had a patient in.

Two failed ventouse deliveries were then attempted before Harley was delivered at 12.14pm in the theatre which had since become available.

Harley was resuscitated and later that day transferred to New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton, where he died on March 22.

Senior midwife Andrea Walker said she told Dr Subak-Sharpe the theatre had become available between the two ventouse attempts, but he said he needed to carry out both attempts as is the usual procedure.

Nurse David Griffin said the theatre became available within three to four minutes at around 11.45am after hearing there was a code red, but it wasn't until 12.08pm they were called to theatre.

Mrs Walker told the inquest the procedure had since been changed and the anaesthetic room next to the theatre will now be used as a theatre, if the other is occupied.

She said there is also better communication between staff and a delivery suite coordinator.

The legal advocates for the trust and the family could not agree on the wording of the inquest verdict and it was decided the pathologist needed to be called.

The inquest has been adjourned with a new date to be set.