Report details “basic failures” in care leading to mother’s death

A report has indicated that a woman passed away shortly after delivering her fifth child, attributing her death to “basic failures” in the medical attention she received. Laura-Jane Seaman, aged 36, succumbed at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford, Essex, on 23 December 2022, as a result of a substantial peritoneal haemorrhage. According to a prevention of future deaths report issued by a coroner, the haemorrhage remained undetected, even though Ms Seaman repeatedly voiced her concerns, stating she was “gushing”, and implored staff with the words, “not let me die”. The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust stated its commitment to enhancing training “to prevent this from happening again”. Ms Seaman had been admitted to the hospital on 21 December, and although her baby’s birth proceeded without incident, she later experienced a haemorrhage which went unobserved by personnel for several hours, despite her documented history of such conditions. Previously this year, a coroner had identified numerous “gross failures” on the part of healthcare professionals, concluding that had these not taken place, Ms Seaman, a resident of Witham, would have survived. The Essex trust was aware that Ms Seaman carried a high risk of postpartum haemorrhage – defined as significant bleeding after childbirth – before her hospital admission. Following a vaginal delivery, she showed good recovery and was capable of breastfeeding her infant. She was seated upright in bed and intended to return home once her baby was discharged. Nevertheless, two hours subsequent to this, she began to feel unwell and inquired of the clinicians: “Am I bleeding?” Her apprehensions were not escalated; instead, medical personnel attributed her symptoms to dehydration, and upon losing consciousness, she was merely offered a biscuit. Essex coroner Sonia Hayes stated in the report that Ms Seaman’s maternal collapse was “categorised by staff as a faint” when it ought to have been escalated to the critical care team. Diane Sarkar, the chief nursing and quality officer for Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, commented: “We extend our sincerest sympathies and condolences to the family of Laura-Jane.” She added: “Following investigations into the circumstances that led to her death, our focus has been on improving training in recognising the early signs of deterioration and escalation routes in our maternity services to prevent this from happening again.”