THE death of a four-day-old baby at Burnley General Hospital has prompted an action plan in a bid to avoid further tragedies, an inquest heard.

Thomas Gaskarth-Roberts died despite the efforts of medical staff at Burnley, and Preston hospital, where he was born on November 26, 2012.

Burnley Coroner's Court heard yesterday that doctors believed his type one diabetic mother, Joanne Gaskarth, was giving false blood sugar level readings but did not confront her in case she stopped accessing healthcare.

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She went into premature labour at almost 37 weeks suffering from diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a condition caused by consistently high blood glucose levels.

Doctors at Preston delivered Thomas, who weighed almost nine pounds, using forceps.

He was not breathing, failed to respond to treatment, and had bleeding on his brain.

Thomas was transferred to Burnley but died on November 29, 2012, after Joanne, and dad Mark Roberts, switched off his life-support on the advice of doctors.

Consultant diabetologist Simon Howell told the inquest, held at Burnley Town Hall, Joanne, from Great Harwood, had sometimes failed to take blood sugar level readings to the clinic, despite reminders from medics.

Joanne, who also has a daughter called Isabelle and a one-year-son called Max, told Burnley coroner Richard Taylor she had offered to go home to fetch them.

She said: "It was just an oversight. It was just one of those things that got misplaced."

When she arrived at Royal Preston Hospital in labour on November 26, 2012, she was diagnosed with DKA. Her blood sugar level was 25, far exceeding the healthy limit, which should be in single digits.

Consultant obstetrician Fiona Crossville said she had never seen a labouring women with DKA, which causes the body to become acidic due to a lack of insulin, in her 25-year career.

She told the court random tests will now be carried out on patients suffering from type one diabetes in the future.

She said: "Every time I saw Joanne I asked how she had been. She said she was in control, with bloody sugar levels between four and seven. It would not be good practice to say, 'I don't believe you'."

Dr Howell told the court Joanne travelled to Preston to avoid a 'confrontational' consultant at Royal Blackburn Hospital, and said staff decided to take a 'softly softly' approach.

Recording a narrative verdict, coroner Richard Taylor said: "The loss of a child, especially so young, is very difficult. My feelings do go out to Thomas' mother and father. The problem was that his mother had type one diabetes and on her own admission it is a very difficult, life changing illness."