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Dummy Taped To Baby's Face

Staffordshire Trust has been forced to apologise after a baby was found with a dummy taped to its face.

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'Nobody told me' says mother whose child had its dummy taped to its mouth

The mother of a baby who had a dummy taped to its mouth under the supervision of staff at Stafford Hospital, says she wasn't initially informed.

Sarah Fellows, the mother of baby Mason – seen below spitting his dummy out – was 'devastated' when she found out what happened three days later.

Last Friday, Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust apologised for the "exceptional" incident and said a member of staff from Stafford Hospital has been suspended, and that the police are investigating.

The Trust is currently at the centre of a public inquiry into serious failings of care between January 2005 and March 2009.

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Baby with dummy taped to his face spent time in intensive care

A baby boy was found with a dummy taped to his face in Stafford Hospital

A baby boy found with a dummy taped to his face in Stafford Hospital is believed to have spent time in intensive care having been born prematurely.

The baby has been named as Mason Fellows, a twin born on 3rd September last year, two-and-a-half months prematurely.

Parents Sarah Fellows and Lee Denning are thought to have brought the babies home at the beginning of December but Mason was then rushed to Stafford hospital after experiencing breathing problems. It's was during that time at the hospital that a nurse found the tummy taped to Mason's mouth.

Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust has been forced to apologise and said a member of staff has been suspended while police are investigating.

Police at 'very early stages of investigation' after dummy taped to baby's face in hospital

Staffordshire Police say they are in the very early stages of an investigation after a baby boy was found with a dummy taped to his face in Stafford Hospital.

Officers from our Protecting Vulnerable People Department are at the very early stages of investigating a complaint concerning the treatment of a baby boy by a member of staff at Stafford Hospital earlier this month.

The baby boy, who was four months old at the time, was not harmed as a result. We are liaising closely with his family and the NHS Trust concerning the matter.

– Staffordshire Police

Staffordshire Trust has apologised saying a member of staff has been suspended while an investigation is carried out.

Hospital forced to apologise after dummy taped to baby's face

Staffordshire Trust has been forced to apologise after a baby was found with a dummy taped to its face.

Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust said a member of staff has been suspended and police are investigating.

The trust is at the centre of a public inquiry into serious failings of care with a report due to be published on the 6th February.

Statement from Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust:

"We have a zero tolerance approach to poor patient care and we take immediate, appropriate action as soon as we know about any potential serious incidents which happen in our hospitals.

"We are proud that our staff now feel confident to report any incidents which happen. We will continue to encourage staff to do this, and will continue to report incidents, even before they have been fully investigated, despite any negative attention this may create.

"One of our recent incidents involved a dummy that was found taped onto a baby’s face. Fortunately, the baby was unharmed. The incident is under investigation by the Police and so we are unable to give any more information at the moment.

"A member of staff has been suspended pending the outcome of the Police investigation and the Trust’s investigation under our disciplinary policy.

"We cannot emphasise strongly enough that this incident is exceptional and apologise again to the family. We want other hospitals to learn from this incident so that we can be sure that it does not happen to any other baby."

– Colin Ovington, Director of Nursing & Midwifery at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust

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