Mum ‘at peace’ after inquest for baby born prematurely at Glan Clwyd

Annie-Jo Mountcastle died at her family’s home in Llanfair Talhaiarn on November 17, 2017, having been born at 28 weeks’ gestation on February 5 at the Bodelwyddan hospital.

Last Wednesday (July 10), an inquest in Ruthin ruled that diesel fumes emanating from construction works at Glan Clwyd while Annie-Jo was kept there did not contribute to her death.

Instead, coroner John Gittins recorded a conclusion of death arising from natural causes, and a cause of death of sudden infant death syndrome, contributed to by bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD – chronic lung disease).

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Glan Clwyd diesel fumes didn't contribute to death of baby - inquest

Amy Dean, Annie-Jo’s mother, thanked Mr Gittins (senior coroner for North Wales East and Central) and all involved with the inquest process for their “hard work”.

She said: “I just want to say thank you so much to the coroner for his investigation, and everyone involved in it.

“I know it took a long time, but he did it fully and thoroughly, so I just really want to thank him for his hard work.

“I feel at peace with it now; I thank him so much for doing such an in-depth job. 

“It’s amazing how much people have done for Annie-Jo and us as a family, when they didn’t have to.”

Amy Dean with her daughter, Annie-Jo Mountcastle (Image: Family handout)

During the inquest, it was heard Annie-Jo and her twin sister, Florence-Rose, developed BPD after their births.

Ms Dean, said her daughters were placed in “room two” on Glan Clwyd’s Special Care Baby Unit, while works concerning a neonatal unit at the hospital were being carried out simultaneously by BAM Construction.

She recalled “clouds of dust and particulates in the air”, as well as the “strong smell of fumes, like diesel” emanating from the works, which were taking place outside but adjacent to the room her daughters occupied.

They were discharged from Glan Clwyd almost three months after their births, while Annie-Jo’s cardiovascular, respiratory and abdominal systems were found to be normal during a check-up in September.

But Annie-Jo was pronounced deceased during the morning of November 17, after Ms Dean found her unresponsive.

It was accepted at the inquest that a pollutant event likely did occur while Annie-Jo was at Glan Clwyd, but that it was almost impossible to discern the scale of this.

David Mountcastle, Annie-Jo’s father, said she has spent “six-and-a-half years thinking and worrying about (her) being exposed (to pollutants)”.

“I feel everyone should know about this,” added Mr Mountcastle, who is still appealing for contact from anyone who was at Glan Clwyd at the same time.

Annie-Jo's siblings sat on her memorial bench on Pensarn Beach (Image: Family handout)

While Mr Gittins said he could make “no association” between contamination at Glan Clwyd and Annie-Jo’s death, he acknowledged that her parents would not have raised such concerns to hospital staff “unless they truly believed them to be true”.

Chris Stockport, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board’s executive director of transformation and strategic planning, said following the inquest: “First and foremost, I want to offer my sincerest condolences to Annie-Jo’s parents and wider family on their tragic loss in 2017.

“We accept the coroner’s conclusion in full and thank him for his full and through investigation. We will look at his comments, made during the inquest, in detail.

“I can assure the public our pursuit of providing the best possible environments for all patients, especially our most vulnerable, is a continuous process.”

A BAM Construction spokesperson added: “We would like to express our heartfelt sympathies for the family of Annie-Jo Mountcastle.

“Coping with the death of a baby is a trauma that no parent would wish to experience.

“We understand that the coroner concluded that Annie-Jo's tragic death was due to natural causes, namely sudden infant death syndrome, with a background of chronic lung disease caused by her premature birth.”