NHS Trust Admits Contaminated Feed Caused Baby's Death After Decade of Denial
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust has admitted that contaminated feed caused the death of baby Aviva Otte in January 2014, after over ten years of denial. Senior consultant neonatologist Dr Grenville Fox revealed during an inquest that the feed contained deadly _Bacillus cereus_ bacteria, contradicting previous claims that Aviva died of natural causes due to extreme prematurity. The inquest also addresses two other baby deaths linked to a separate outbreak in June 2014.
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust has admitted that contaminated feed was the cause of death for a highly vulnerable baby, Aviva Otte, after more than a decade of denying the claim.
At the inquest held at Southwark Coroner’s Court in London, senior consultant neonatologist Dr Grenville Fox disclosed that the parenteral nutrition given to Aviva in January 2014 contained deadly _Bacillus cereus_ bacteria.
Initially, the trust stated that Aviva died due to complications from being born prematurely at 24 weeks.
However, Dr Fox's revised analysis now cites the infection as the primary cause.
This significant reversal has raised questions about the trust’s transparency regarding an earlier outbreak in 2013 and 2014, which affected four babies, including Aviva.
The inquest is also examining the deaths of Oscar Barker and Yousef Al-Kharboush, who died during a separate outbreak in June 2014 caused by contaminated liquid food supplied by ITH Pharma.
The court proceedings are expected to continue for three weeks.