Family pay tribute to baby Olivia as hospital trust vows to learn lessons after Horsham inquest
Olivia Trupiano's family say they hope lessons will be learned following the conclusion of the inquest
A baby girl who died just days after her birth died of natural causes, an inquest has found, as her family paid tribute to their "beautiful and much-loved daughter".
The inquest into the death of Olivia Trupiano concluded at County Hall North in Horsham, held by the West Sussex, Brighton and Hove Coroner Service.
The Coroner returned a narrative verdict and found Olivia died of natural causes, while indicating there had been opportunities for improvement in communication.
Her mother, Kimberley Newark, said the process had been "incredibly difficult and emotionally exhausting" for her and Olivia's father, Yann.
She said their aim had been to seek answers about what happened, to understand the circumstances of Olivia's death and to ensure any lessons could be learned.
Kimberley Newark said: "While today's findings do not provide all the answers we had hoped for, we welcomed the opportunity to have the evidence fully investigated and to ensure that Olivia's short life is never forgotten."
A tribute to Olivia
Olivia's mother said her daughter should never be reduced to what happened to her medically.
Kimberley Newark said: "Olivia was our beautiful and much-loved daughter. She mattered, and she should never be reduced to what happened to her medically. Although her life lasted only a few precious days, she brought immense joy and love into our lives and will always be a cherished part of our family. She will always be loved, missed and remembered and not a day goes by that we do not think about her. Her loss has left a devastating void in our lives."
She added that Olivia should still be here, growing up alongside her siblings.
Kimberley Newark said: "Today is not a day of closure for us, because there can never truly be closure when a child dies. Instead, it is another step in our ongoing journey of grief. We will continue to cherish Olivia's memory and remember the joy and love that she brought into our lives, however brief her time with us was. Olivia is deeply loved and will never be forgotten. She will remain in our hearts forever, and we will continue to honour her memory every day."
The family's legal team
The family was represented at the inquest by law firm Slater and Gordon.
Clinical negligence solicitor Ayesha Hussain said the Coroner had indicated there were opportunities for improvement in communication.
Ayesha Hussain said: "Olivia's family has shown remarkable strength throughout the inquest process while living with the devastating loss of their much-loved baby.
"The evidence heard during the inquest was complex and the Coroner indicated that there were opportunities for improvement in communication.
"While no legal process can remove the grief associated with such a profound loss, the family hope that increased awareness of medical conditions such as splenic artery rupture may contribute to medical learning and support efforts to improve outcomes wherever possible."
The hospital trust's response
University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust offered its condolences to Olivia's family and said it would examine the Coroner's observations.
A UHSussex spokesperson said: "We offer our sincere condolences to Olivia's family for their loss, and the grief they continue to live with.
"We thank the coroner for her work. We note her narrative verdict, and although Olivia was found to have died of natural causes, we nonetheless take her comments about what our teams could learn extremely seriously.
"We have already scrutinised Olivia's care and made changes as a result. We will now examine the coroner's observations around communication and handovers between teams, in particular, and take all necessary steps to respond positively, and quickly. We are committed to always improving how we listen to, and learn from, the experiences of all the families we serve."
The family said they hoped greater awareness and continued learning about pregnancy-related emergencies would help other families to receive the safest possible care in the future.]