Staff complete training following baby's death

All relevant staff have undertaken training following the death of a baby who was injured during a caesarean section, a hospital trust has said.

Louisa Walker died in June 2024 after a doctor at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, in Reading, tried to move her head and she suffered skull fractures and an intracranial haemorrhage.

At her inquest last year a coroner said only 17% of its obstetricians had undertaken new training to prevent a similar incident.

The chief executive of Royal Berkshire NHS Trust told coroner Heidi Connor all its obstetric consultants and doctors have now done the training for an impacted fetal head (IFH).

"The training sessions have allowed for multi-disciplinary hands-on training for those who have attended and has increased the awareness of IFH," chief executive Steve McManus said.

"There will also continue to be ongoing monthly drop-in sessions for hands-on training for other staff as well as doctors who may wish to practise their skills."

All of the trust's midwife delivery suite coordinators and maternity clinical coordinators have completed the training, Mr McManus said.

Following the inquest in October, Mrs Connor wrote to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) calling for national guidance on how to deal with IFH, which she said she understood had become "increasingly common".

The RCOG said it has developed a programme, alongside the Royal College of Midwives and The Healthcare Improvement Studies (THIS) Institute at the University of Cambridge.

The Avoiding Brain Injury in Childbirth (ABC) programme will be rolled out nationally following a successful pilot and support from the Department of Health and Social Care, the RCOG said.