THE heartbroken parents of a baby who was born with irreversible brain damage are set to receive a payout after Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust admitted liability for his death.

Myles Oakley’s death was one of the dozens of cases that triggered an NHS investigation which found serious failings in the quality of maternity services at Russells Hall Hospital between April 2014 and December 2015.

The trust has now agreed a substantial but undisclosed settlement with Myles’ parents, Louise and Craig Oakley, after the Dudley couple instructed specialist medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate the level of care their son received.

Louise, aged 40, went into the Dudley hospital on May 7, 2015, to give birth to Myles.

But his condition started to deteriorate and Louise was given drugs to speed up the labour.

Myles was in distress but was not delivered until after 10pm. He was born in a poor state and had to be resuscitated.

His condition deteriorated further and his parents made the heartbreaking decision to turn off his life-support machine the following morning.

The newborn was found to have died from a brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen, an infection and antepartum bleeding.

Myles' death was among 43 serious incidents at the hospital over a 20 month period, which led to an investigation by NHS England.

The investigation focused on 25 incidents and found that between April 2014 and December 2015 there had been one death and five cases of ‘avoidable harm’.

A ‘detailed clinical review’ was undertaken and an improvement plan put in place.

A report published by the Dudley Maternity Quality Improvement Board last October said maternity services at the trust were now “safer and more clinically effective”.

However Louise and Craig have criticised the hospital for not allowing them to spend time with Myles and being rushed out of the hospital.

Louise said: “The agony of losing Myles is something that neither of us will fully ever get over.

“Nearly three years on I’m still angry with not only the care we received but the way we were treated by the hospital.

"We never got to hold Myles while he was still alive and after he died it felt like we were in the way. We were told his death was simply ‘one of those things’.

“Myles will always be a part of our family. We are devastated he is not here to grow up with his brother and sister but we will definitely make sure Savana and Crixus will know all about their wonderful brother."

Craig added: “I wouldn’t wish the pain our family has gone through over the last few years on anyone. I just hope that Russells Hall makes improvements to make sure nobody else suffers like we have had to."

Mark Cawley, a solicitor for Irwin Mitchell, said: "While nothing can ever make up for the loss of Myles we are happy that the hospital trust has admitted liability, allowing Louise and Craig to receive specialist support as they try to come to terms with their son’s death the best they can.

“It is vital that the trust learns lessons from Myles’ death so other families don’t have to experience the same suffering as Louise and Craig.”

Diane Wake, chief executive of the trust, said: "On behalf of the trust I would like to offer my sincere condolences to Louise and Craig Oakley for the tragic loss of their baby Myles in May 2015.

"They are very much in my thoughts. While the claim has been resolved I fully appreciate that the loss of a baby is one of the hardest burdens to bear and cannot begin to imagine how they are feeling at this time.

"A quality improvement board, with an independent chair was set up in 2016, because the trust reported a higher number of serious incidents compared to comparable trusts in the West Midlands during April 2014 to December 2015.

"We worked closely and openly with our commissioners, regulators and other key health partners to review 25 maternity incidents including Myles’s tragic death."

She continued: "The families involved were given the opportunity to actively engage in the process, contribute towards any lessons learned and were kept informed throughout. The fact that the families involved were prepared to assist us in our review has been invaluable and I would like to thank all of them, including Louise and Craig Oakley, for sharing their experiences.

"As a result of this process learning from this case, and the other serious incidents that were investigated, has been embedded throughout our maternity services.

"The Quality Improvement Board was assured that after the detailed clinical review, and by the subsequent improvement plan, that the maternity services at the trust are safer and more clinically effective."