by Jenny Engstrom A first time mother who bled to death following a Caesarean section died at the hands of her own colleagues, it has been revealed. Ana Maria Denzo, 30, suffered a haemorrhage at Northwick Park Hospital, in Harrow – the v

by Jenny Engstrom

A first time mother who bled to death following a Caesarean section died at the hands of her own colleagues, it has been revealed.

Ana Maria Denzo, 30, suffered a haemorrhage at Northwick Park Hospital, in Harrow - the very hospital she worked for as a nurse.

Mrs Denzo, from Ealing, became the tenth new mother in three years to die at the maternity unit, run by the North West London Hospitals NHS Trust.

Coroner Andrew Walker ruled last Friday that her death was 'contributed to by neglect' and said there had been ongoing failures in her care.

The inquest heard how hospital staff had not acted quickly enough to do the C-section and then damaged a major vein, causing her to lose up to 30 pints of blood.

She was eventually transferred to St Mary's Hospital, in Paddington, but never recovered and died three weeks later.

Her baby daughter, Areanne, survived.

Mrs Denzo's family, including her husband Arnulfo Denzo, and her parents, who had travelled from their home in the Philippines to be at the inquest, struggled to hold back tears at the hearing.

The coroner, who recorded a narrative verdict, said: "Nothing I will be able to say will be enough to comfort you in this grief. Mrs Denzo's daughter will never know her mother."

The hospital was subsequently placed on special measures following an investigation by the Healthcare Commission.

It was taken off special measures in September 2006 following a £19 million refurbishment of its maternity unit and a 'complete review' of clinical guidelines.

Since Mrs Denzo's death, three more new mothers have died at the hospital.

The husband of Zahra Ghaznavi, 28, from Wembley, who died on March 20 - a week after the delivery of her daughter, Shar - is considering legal action against the hospital.

The trust is currently conducting an internal inquiry into links between the deaths, which happened between June 2007 and March 2008.

jenny.engstrom@archant.co.uk