Scots baby died because of 'putrid hospital' mum tells inquiry

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The mum of a Scots newborn baby who died in an intensive care unit has told an inquiry that her daughter died from an infection caused by an “absolutely putrid hospital”.On April 11, 2017, Sophia Smith was just 11 days old when she died at the Royal Hospital for Children (RHC) at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) campus in Glasgow.

The newborn became ill with an infection similar to MRSA, which developed into sepsis.In 2020, Sophia’s case was handed over to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) which, earlier this year, announced an Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) into her death.Sophia was born at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, Renfrewshire, on March 31 2017.

The inquiry heard that, following her birth, Sophia had difficulty breathing and a possible heart issue, so she was transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the RHC.There she was placed in an incubator with one-on-one nursing care and a “raft of machinery” next to her cot.

She was also given antibiotics via lines into her body, initially in her abdomen and then in her left foot.Despite a “massive” improvement, with parents Theresa and Matthew Smith being led to believe she would be home in “a matter of weeks”, on April 10 Sophia’s health suddenly deteriorated.