Rifky Grossberger
11 Mar 2020 · Coroner ME Hassell · London Inner North
The coroner's concerns
1. metal blind cord entanglement
“Before [the deceased] became entangled in the metal blind cord, her parents were unaware of its potential danger”
2. discarded instruction leaflet
“The instruction leaflet provided with the blinds had long since been discarded and so they did not see this”
3. lack of targeted warning materials
“I asked [the deceased]'s mum what would have been the most useful source of warning, and she thought the leaflets she was given after [the deceased] was born, and also her healthcare professionals”
4. absence of national safety leaflet
“Professor [name redacted], I have attempted to locate a national leaflet, but so far unsuccessfully. It occurs to me that you may have input into local leaflets”
5. midwives and district nurses may forget to warn
“the midwives and district nurses who look after new mums and their babies are well placed to offer advice, but may need a reminder to warn of this particular danger”
6. information overload for new parents
“I appreciate that new parents receive a lot of paperwork and a lot of information generally. That can be overwhelming of course, but I am sure that methods could be devised of delivering such safety advice that would make this situation less likely in the future”