EASTWOOD, England — Emergency crews have changed protocol after a newborn girl wrongly pronounced dead and left in the front seat of an English ambulance died.
Her mother, Alison Davis, 33, arrived at Southend University Hospital in 2009 complaining of bleeding and severe pain but was sent home to suffer a miscarriage after an “inadequate examination,” according to the Daily Mail.
An hour later, Davis had the baby in her home. A lone paramedic responded and reportedly seemed overwhelmed by the situation.
Davis’ father, Trevor Webber, said the paramedic was like a “rabbit in the headlights.”
The paramedic reasoned that because baby Bethany was born earlier than 24 weeks, she was not viable. He refused to cut Bethany’s umbilical cord until backup arrived six minutes later.
“It was terrible,” Webber told the Daily Mail. “Those six minutes felt like a lifetime.”
When more ambulance workers showed up to Davis’ home, they pronounced Bethany dead, wrapped her in towels and placed her on the front seat of the ambulance as they rushed to get Davis back to the hospital. Paramedics did not follow protocol and ask Davis’ husband if he wanted to hold Bethany.
After the ambulance arrived at the hospital and Davis was transported inside, crews left Bethany on the front seat for 10 to 15 minutes. When crews handed the baby over to hospital staff, a midwife noticed Bethany had a heartbeat and was moving her fingers.
Bethany died shortly after.
“We were robbed of the precious time with her alive,” Davis said.
A spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust said he was extremely sorry for what occurred.
“The way the paramedics dealt with the incident was thoroughly investigated and the investigation, the results of which have been given to Mr. and Mrs. Davis, found that it was handled sensitively and appropriately,” he said. “An assessment of Bethany by the paramedic unfortunately at the time found no vital signs.”
The hospital said that even if Davis had not been discharged, Bethany still would likely have not survived, but it has changed some of its protocols concerning examinations and note-taking by junior and senior staff. It is unclear if Davis will pursue any legal action.