HOSPITAL bosses have admitted they were at fault over the death of an unborn baby.

Officials at County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust last night apologised to the parents of the girl. Two failures during her care had contributed to death of unborn Olivia Harrison, her parents were told.

But last night Andrea and Dean Harrison, the parents of the dead child, said that despite reassurances they were not satisfied that the downgraded maternity suite at Bishop Auckland General Hospital was safe for women.

Under recent changes, medical cover for the midwife-run unit have been withdrawn and emergencies have been transferred 12 miles to Darlington Memorial Hospital.

"The only way they are going to provide a safe service is to have an emergency back-up at Bishop Auckland, not at Darlington," said Mrs Harrison, 29, from Newton Aycliffe.

The death of Olivia during a car dash between Bishop Auckland and Darlington raised national concerns about the safety of midwife-run maternity units. Hospital bosses insist that the new system of booking low-risk women into Bishop Auckland and higher-risk women into Darlington is safe.

In a bid to restore confidence in the Bishop Auckland maternity unit, women due to have their babies there are to be contacted by midwives.

Midwives will check the records of every women due to have their baby at the unit to ensure they are low-risk.

Olivia Harrison was due to be one of the first babies born at the low-tech maternity suite at Bishop Auckland.

But only two days after the unit lost its medical and surgical cover, Olivia died as her parents tried to reach the high-tech maternity unit in Darlington - in their car, because no ambulance was available.

During a two-hour meeting with the family last night, the County Durham trust admitted there had been two failures in the way Mrs Harrison's case had been managed.

Checks by the hospital trust have shown that Mrs Harrison should not have been booked into Bishop Auckland as a low-risk mother, but categorised as high risk.

The trust also accepts that when it became clear Mrs Harrison needed to be moved to the maternity unit in Darlington, an ambulance should have been made available.

Mrs Harrison said she requested a copy of the clinical review carried out by the trust and her medical notes.

She said: "They told me the member of staff who dealt with us on the day was not aware of the protocol for transferring high-risk patients.

"I should have gone to Darlington in an ambulance with blue flashing lights."

In a statement, the trust's medical director, Robert Aitken, said: "The review has identified two failings, both of which led to Mrs Harrison receiving inappropriate care from the trust.

"Mrs Harrison was told she was eligible to give birth at the maternity unit at Bishop Auckland General Hospital. This advice breached the unit's own clinical guidelines.

"When it became clear on May 10 that Mrs Harrison required transfer to the unit at Darlington, the unit's guidelines say that an ambulance should have been arranged to take her there. No ambulance was requested for her.

"We have met Mrs Harrison and her husband today to apologise for our failure to care properly for her and her unborn child.

"Our community midwives will be contacting all women due to give birth at the midwife-led unit at Bishop Auckland to discuss any worries they may have.

"We intend to check the records of every woman booked to have their child at Bishop Auckland General Hospital to ensure that this is the correct option for them."