A newborn baby girl dies at the hospital after a mistake at just 2 months old

Just days after baby Nailah Ally was born, she was diagnosed with a serious intestinal problem.

Nailah, who was born in Crawley, had necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) – a disease in which the intestines become inflamed and die.

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She was also diagnosed with a hole in her heart during pregnancy.

But due to a hospital error, the boy died after suffering septic shock on Jan. 13, 2020, at just two months old.

Now her heartbroken parents have received undisclosed compensation from a hospital trust after medics misinterpreted some of her symptoms as cow’s milk intolerance.

On December 28, 2019, Nailah was hospitalized with a swollen abdomen.

She was treated for suspected sepsis, but doctors did not administer a barium enema.

This is a test to help highlight the colon so it can be seen clearly on an X-ray – to consider the possibility that your bowel may have narrowed due to NEC damage.

Her parents, Laila Tobota, 26, and her partner Emmanuel Ally directed Irwin Mitchell’s lawyers to investigate her care under the Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs East Surrey Hospital.

The legal team highlighted that an NHS inquiry found a consultant believed Nailah may have an intolerance to cow’s milk and changed the formula she was feeding herself.

On January 7, 2020, Nailah was sent home from East Surrey Hospital and scheduled for a follow-up appointment three days later.

The following day, Nailah went into septic shock and an X-ray showed a suspected perforated bowel.

Her condition worsened and she died on January 13, 2020.

A post-mortem revealed that she died of multiple organ failure caused by NEC and a narrowed bowel.

A spokesman for Irwin Mitchell said: “A causal analysis investigative report from the Trust found that a barium enema could not be administered, which may have subsequently found Nailah’s narrowed bowel suffered from ‘due to her episode of necrotizing enterocolitis’.

“The failure to administer the test was due to poor documentation, poor in-person handovers between doctors, and poor ownership of Nailah’s case by a named counselor, the report said.”

The spokesman said the Trust paid Nailah’s parents an undisclosed settlement to allow them access to the professional support they needed after her death, but did not admit liability.

Emily Mansfield, the medical negligence expert representing the family, said: “The past few years and dealing with Nailah’s death have understandably been incredibly traumatic for Laila and Emmanuel.

“Nailah’s case demonstrates not only the dangers of sepsis but also the possible consequences of poor communication between physicians and between physicians and families.”

Ms Tobota, a human resources manager, said: “Although it has been three years since Nailah passed away, the hurt and pain we feel is still as raw as it was then.

“She was the most adorable and beautiful child who didn’t deserve the suffering she went through in her short life. Nailah was an absolute fighter and so brave to the end.

“We can’t thank the heart surgeons enough for everything they did to help Nailah.

“However, after Nailah was transferred, we felt that some staff were ignoring our needs and that no one really asked us about our child during rounds or staff handovers.

“It felt like Nailah’s dietary issues were often blamed on dairy intolerance rather than the focus being on her medical needs.”

In a statement, Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust said: “We are very sorry for the experience Nailah’s family have had at East Surrey Hospital and our deepest sympathies remain with them at this very difficult time.

“We take every death very seriously and as a Trust we have already researched and created a thorough action plan to ensure we are learning the necessary lessons and more importantly improving our care for future patients.”