By Neil Sears
Last updated at 8:48 AM on 29th August 2009


A baby born with known health problems died at two days old after doctors waited more than 24 hours before examining him.

A scan during pregnancy showed Tobias Taylor had a dilated loop in his bowel, a potentially serious condition that needed careful attention.

But despite clear medical records detailing the problem, medical staff not only waited 32 hours before fully examining him, but also let his mother Marie, 36, go home soon after the birth.

Marie Taylor sits next to her son Tobias' grave, which she visits every day

Marie Taylor sits next to her son Tobias' grave, which she visits every day

When he was finally examined, he was immediately rushed to a specialist unit where he died soon after of septicaemia.

Now Mrs Taylor, a police community support officer, and her husband Simon, 39, are considering legal action against the hospital, claiming Tobias was given inadequate medical attention.

Mrs Taylor, who visits her son's grave every day, also claims she was not urged to remain in hospital the night after she gave birth, a charge the hospital denies.

She said: 'If the hospital had acted as they should have and looked at my son straight away, he would be alive.

'His graveside is the only place I feel at peace. I sit there for hours sometimes.'

National guidelines say doctors should wait 24 hours to give newborns a routine examination because this is when any heart defects can be spotted.

But in letters to the family, the chief executive of East Surrey Hospital in Redhill admitted there had been staff 'confusion' and medics 'did seem to lose sight of Tobias's particular individual needs'.

Tobias Taylor was born with a dilated loop in his bowel and died when he was just two days old

Tobias Taylor was born with a dilated loop in his bowel and died when he was just two days old

Gail Wannell conceded: 'Tobias did not fall into the category of babies who required the routine 24- hour examination.'

She added: 'It would have been prudent for Tobias to be examined to see if there were signs of his condition deteriorating.'

Mrs Taylor, who lives in Redhill with her husband and sons Aden, seven, and Nicholas, 12, had been trying for a third child for six years when Tobias was conceived.

But she became concerned when a scan on April 17 revealed that her unborn child had an enlarged bowel loop in his intestines, which can be an indicator of cystic fibrosis, which her son Nicholas has.

It can also mean the intestines are blocked and need surgery. This should have been investigated straight after birth, but when Tobias was born at 2am on May 17, a note on Mrs Taylor's records said: 'Baby check not due till baby is 24 hours at 2am on May 18.'

Mrs Taylor said: 'I asked for my baby to be checked, no one would even look at him. They told me I had to wait 24 hours, it was policy.

'They didn't tell me not to discharge myself in the meantime. If they had, I would have stayed.'

Mrs Taylor said she went home at 5.30pm and returned the next morning at 8.55am – but Tobias was not examined until 10.25am.

Soon after he was rushed to paediatric intensive care at St George's Hospital in Tooting, South London, but died the next day.

Mr Taylor said: 'One of the hardest things we had to do was register the birth – then register the death straight afterwards. It was awful.'

A hospital spokesman said: 'The medical teams discussed with Tobias's mother their preference for Tobias to remain in hospital for monitoring and observation but the family chose to take Tobias home.'

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'The medical teams discussed with Tobias's mother their preference for Tobias to remain in hospital for monitoring and observation but the family chose to take Tobias home.'
There are structured, compulsory procedures for discharging any patient (high dependency or not) early or against hospital advice - one of which is the signing of a self-discharge form. If this is the case, the grieving family must accept responsibility for this loss.
The NHS does have its faults but it also lacks the right to reply in any detail on individual cases.

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The Mail seems to me doing its level best to make people worry about the NHS. Is this for the benefit of all the right-wing in the US who appear to have latched onto your comments' sections?

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Yes Andrew of Kent it would be great if investigations were carried out and lessons learnt, but too often nothing is done unless you hit their bank balances and until there is a structured compulsory investigation procedure into cases like this I say, go for it.

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I very much doubt she discharged herself against recommendations, since she knew in advance her baby would be born poorly. But it's her word against theirs, as so often happens.

My second child will be mildly disabled for life as a result of hospital negligence. But worse than the birth itself - and that was horrific - were the lies that were told by the staff to blame, in a bid to escape responsibility.

I agree with Kim's comments. When it comes to your child, trust no-one above your own instincts. Sometimes you will end up looking a fool. Better that than a child irreparably damaged, like mine. Or worse, like poor little Tobias.

I only wish I'd trusted mine.

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What a tragic loss of life.
We Brits come from a 'don't cause a fuss' culture which is maybe why the parents decided home would be the most comfortable place for them-after all, they'd be told he wouldn't be checked til the morning. I've learnt over the years that unless you cause a scene you get ignored - sad but true. The parents should have insisted and kept being 'difficult' until their son was attended too. But then its very easy for me to say that.
RIP little Tobias

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I really feel for this woman. Hospital care has really gone downhill recently. I gave birth to my son in June, and the hospital had cocked up so much during my pregnancy and birth. I should've been induced 5 days before I gave. But they just let me do it naturally posing risks.

Thankfully everything in my case went okay, but it could've easily gone wrong and I don't think the hospital realizes this?

And as for this 'check the baby after 24 hours' thing.. My son was examined not even 8 hours after birth.

My thoughts are with the family. I can't imagine what they're going through.

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