Nurse tells Harry Richford inquest focus was on his survival
A staff nurse called to help with the emergency delivery of a baby has said her "focus was to get him to survive".
Laura Guest told an inquest into the death of Harry Richford she did not expect to walk into what she saw in the operating theatre. The baby was born at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate in 2017 but died a week later. Ms Guest said the parents were "very distressed, Harry was very pale, and his heart rate was very, very slow". She told the inquest she remembered the midwife saying "do you want a consultant?" and she replied "yes". Consultant paediatrician Dr Abigail Price, who was on call at the hospital, told the inquest she rushed to the operating theatre and the first person she met was a midwife. She recalled how "she looked very grave" and told her that Harry was "possibly dead". Dr Price said she assessed the situation and did what she could as Harry was prepared so that he could be transferred to the acute care unit at the William Harvey Hospital, in Ashford. At the end of her evidence she expressed her sincere apologies for the care the mother and baby had received. Earlier on Friday, the inquest heard from the anaesthetist looking after Mrs Richford in the operating theatre. Dr Dhir Gurung described the tension in the room, and the fact that Mrs Richford was asking why her baby was not crying. He told the hearing he managed to put an airway into the baby. The family thanked him through their solicitors, saying he had given them "seven precious days" with Harry. Mr and Mrs Richford are due to give evidence to the coroner on Monday.