Townsville Hospital cleared over baby death

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By David Chen

The Health Ombudsman has cleared the Townsville Hospital in north Queensland of any wrongdoing over the death of a baby nearly two years ago.

A complaint was filed in 2013, over the birth of a stillborn baby at the Townsville Hospital.

The mother claimed the hospital and the two midwives who had cared for her, had failed in their duty and their actions contributed to her baby’s death.

The Ombudsman found the hospital did nothing wrong but he has made five recommendations, including the hospital develop guidelines for midwives on the use of ultrasounds and getting the hospital to make better records of interactions between patients and staff.

The Ombudsman said the hospital had complied with most of the recommendations and further action would not be taken.

The two midwives have also been cleared of serious misconduct but have been referred to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency for further investigation.

The Townsville Hospital said it was deeply saddened by the death of the baby and had implemented improvements in its services as a result of an internal review.