A NORTH-EAST hospital trust has admitted that a catalogue of errors and bad communication led to a mother losing her life shortly after giving birth to twins.

An inquest in Newcastle heard yesterday how Joanne Hatton’s condition “spiralled out of control” after she gave birth to twins at Darlington Memorial Hospital on December 30, 2008.

Mrs Hatton, 38, who lived in Darlington and worked as a legal advisor at Hartlepool Magistrates’ Court, lost two litres of blood during the Caesarean section operation.

But, despite a doctor calling for an urgent blood transfusion, he told yesterday’s hearing that when he returned two hours later, the transfusion had still not taken place.

The inquest also heard claims that Mrs Hatton was sent to the hospital’s high dependency unit, rather than the intensive care ward, because of a shortage of beds.

Despite suffering kidney failure and liver problems, no one linked her relentless deterioration with the blood loss, her husband, Julian, told the hearing.

Mr Hatton, 44, prepared a statement that was read to Newcastle Coroners’ Court at the Civic Centre yesterday afternoon.

In it, he said that the doctors and midwives who were dealing with his wife at Darlington Memorial Hospital did not communicate properly and gave the impression that no one person was in charge of her care.

He said the hospital had underestimated his wife’s blood loss after she haemorrhaged heavily following the birth of her twins, Ben and Miles.

This was exacerbated by delays in giving her a blood transfusion.

Mr Hatton later said: “It was like a domino effect – Joanne’s medical condition spiralled out of control after the delivery of the twins and nothing could be done to prevent her deteriorating condition.”

Mr Hatton said he was told at a meeting with the medical director of County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust that Mrs Hatton was sent to the high dependency unit rather than the intensive treatment unit because of a lack of beds.

He said he was told in the same meeting, on April 17, 2009, that the two units did not communicate effectively about Mrs Hatton’s treatment.

He added: “Joanne’s condition following the birth of our twins deteriorated and nobody appeared to link that deterioration with the significant amount of blood that she lost in theatre and when she was being tended to by the midwives.

“First it was thought she had kidney problems and that these were separate problems not linked to her blood loss.

“Then the same happened when next it was determined that she had liver problems.

“Again, it was like nobody linked her deterioration with her significant blood loss. Nobody appeared to be talking to each other. There was a distinct lack of involvement from the maternity unit, which I found very strange at the time.

“There seemed to be no joined-up thinking between all of the different specialists.”

On January 2, Mrs Hatton’s family were told by a consultant that her kidneys had recovered and that she would be transferred back onto a general ward a few days later.

However, doctors then became concerned about problems with her liver.

Mr Hatton received a phone call at 12.30am on January 4, telling him his wife was to be transferred to the Royal Victoria Infirmary, in Newcastle.

She was then transferred to Newcastle General Hospital, where a specialist neurological team worked to reduce pressure that had built up on her brain.

After ten days of being brought in and out of sedation, Mrs Hatton died on January 20.

Last week, only days before the coroner’s hearing, County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust accepted responsibility for the tragedy.

The hospital trust said it had made a number of improvements to the highdependency unit and intensive care services. It has also reviewed the way specialists interact with each other across departments.

Dr Ahmed Ali was the gynaecological clinical lead at Darlington Memorial Hospital at the time Mrs Hatton received her treatment. He retired in October 2009.

He told the hearing that he asked for a blood transfusion to be given to Mrs Hatton at about 9.40am on December 31.

When he returned to see her two hours later, the blood transfusion had not taken place.

Coroner David Mitford said: “If I had told my staff that I needed something doing urgently and I returned two hours later to find it had not been completed, I would not be very happy.”

The inquest continues today.