A father has blasted the ‘lies and shameful acts’ of an ‘unforgivable’ NHS trust after a catalogue of ‘deeply harrowing’ errors caused his baby girl’s death.
Ida Lock was born at Lancaster Infirmary in November 2019 but tragically died just six days later due to ‘wholly incompetent midwives’, an inquest found.
Her father, Ryan Lock, said his family’s five-year fight for answers about the traumatic birth that led to her death added to their agony ‘should never have taken this long’.
Mr Lock had gone with his heavily pregnant partner, Sarah Robinson, to Royal Lancaster Infirmary on the morning of Saturday, November 9, 2019.
A series of ‘gross failures’, including mistakes by the three midwives involved in Ida’s birth, as well as a failure to provide effective CPR when she was born not breathing, led to Ida suffering a severe brain injury.
The newborn was transferred to Royal Preston Hospital where she died, with her family by her side, six days later on November 16.
Ida’s death was not reported to a coroner by University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) and it was only when Mr Lock and Ms Robinson instructed a solicitor, Anna Mills Morgan from Mackenzie Jones, that a coroner was informed.
An inquest into Ida’s death started last month and finished last Friday, with Lancashire’s Senior Coroner, Dr James Adeley, delivering a damning conclusion in which he found that neglect contributed to Ida’s death.
Ida Lock (pictured) was born at Lancaster Infirmary November 9, 2019 but tragically died just six days later following a catalogue of ‘deeply harrowing’ errors made by medical staff, an inquest found
Mr Lock had gone with his heavily-pregnant partner Sarah Robinson to Royal Lancaster Infirmary on the morning of Saturday November 9, 2019
Ida’s father, Ryan Lock (pictured), said his family’s five-year fight for answers about the traumatic birth that led to her death added to their agony ‘should never have taken this long’
After taking some time to digest the inquest’s findings, Mr Lock, from Morecambe, has posted a lengthy statement from himself and Ms Robinson on X.
Mr Lock also revealed that since Ida’s tragic death the family has welcomed another daughter called Ruby.
He wrote: ‘This past week back into normality, I have tried to decompress, take a step back from what we have been through for the past six weeks.
‘Feels odd in a way that the fight is over for answers. Five years fighting for Ida, the truth, for justice. Five years nurturing Ethan and bringing Ruby into our world.
‘It should never have taken this long; the word “inhumane”, described by Dr Kirkup for the trust’s actions, still echoes in my head.
‘The coroner reached eight main failings that contributed to Ida’s death and gave the verdict of neglect.
‘This “wholly incompetent care” from the three midwives is deeply harrowing.
‘Whilst we should accept clinical failures happen in the NHS, this culture within of lies and deceit towards families is again, from Dr Kirkup, “unforgivable”.
‘Those lies and shameful acts started on the day Ida was born and continued to flow through the years.
‘Even in the inquest the same people tried to convince the coroner, a narrative that simply was not true, to only benefit themselves.
‘These acts are truly disgusting. They didn’t care about the devastating impact it would make asking if Sarah smoked or telling us Ida was probably poorly before she was born, disagreeing with an independent report which found 23 failings in 2020.
‘Did these staff, the trust, not learn anything from the 2015 Kirkup Report? If there was one trust in the country that should have been leading the way with openness, honestly and thorough investigation it was UHMBT.
‘There have been some very in depth articles this week about the issues the NHS have in maternity, about us.
‘What is the answer to stop this culture continuing around the country? A further look into accountability I feel would be a start.
‘The truth is now out there for our beloved Ida. Her death will not be in vain.’
UHMBT has issued an apology in which bosses said they are ‘truly sorry’ for what happened to Ida.
