An investigation revealed that a mother who lost her baby a week after birth was not properly informed of the risks associated with a natural home birth by the NHS trust. Poppy Hope Lomas passed away at just seven days old at University College Hospital in central London after complications arose from a home birth that her mother was encouraged to have. The home delivery was overseen by Edgware Midwives, the assigned home birth team at Barnet Hospital under the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.
During the inquest at Barnet Coroner’s Court, Senior Coroner Andrew Walker stated that the trust supported the mother with an unsafe home birth against medical advice, leading to an accumulation of risk factors that were not addressed. The coroner pointed out that the midwives overseeing the home birth failed to manage critical risk factors, resulting in an absence or delay of necessary interventions.
The cause of Poppy’s death was likely a severe hypoxic ischaemic brain event occurring shortly before her birth, as indicated by the coroner. The inquest heard that the attending midwife acknowledged the need for an ambulance when the baby’s heart rate slowed down, but no action was taken promptly.
Furthermore, it was revealed that the mother, who had previously undergone a Caesarean section, was not adequately informed of the risks of home births. Despite guidelines recommending specific settings and resources for vaginal births after Caesarean, the mother was encouraged to have a home birth by the head midwife.
Following the tragic incident, the coroner made several recommendations, including the implementation of consent forms clearly outlining risks when deviating from medical advice. Additionally, he emphasized the importance of multi-disciplinary meetings to ensure that patients fully understand the risks associated with choosing unsafe home births.
In response to the findings, a spokesperson from the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust expressed condolences to the family and outlined measures taken to enhance care for women opting for home births. These measures include improved communication between clinicians and women and adherence to guidelines on transferring mothers to hospitals when necessary. The trust pledged to address all issues raised by the coroner.