A York mother's premature baby died in a Teesside hospital after she had to be transferred from York District Hospital for an emergency Caesarean birth.

Alison Conner was taken by ambulance more than 50 miles to Stockton on Tees when she developed severe pre-eclampsia at 28 weeks pregnant.

York hospital was unable to provide the intensive care needed after the delivery of her baby son, Matthew, and Stockton was the nearest hospital able to do so.

But Matthew died at only four days old on Sunday after pneumonia and other complications set in, caused by his mother's condition and also his premature birth.

Alison and her partner, Chris Lacy, say they cannot praise enough the standard of care given to their son by doctors and nurses at Stockton, and also the way staff kept them fully informed and consulted throughout. "They were very reassuring and sympathetic," said Chris.

Nor do the couple believe the move in any way contributed to his death.But they say the stress and practical difficulties that it caused added to their distress at an already traumatic time

Chris said some close relatives, including his mother, had been unable to get to Stockton to see the baby before he died. Now his mother would only ever see photographs of her grandson.

York District Hospital's manager of surgical services, Susan Acott, said that it had been known that intensive care facilities would be needed for the baby after the delivery, but both the hospital's neo-natal intensive care cots had been occupied at the time.

It had therefore been necessary to transfer the mother to the next nearest hospital where such facilities were available.

She said the Trust felt York should have three such cots for the size of the population, and the provision of an extra cot had been considered by North Yorkshire Health Authority against other priorities, but it had not yet been given the go-ahead.

Meanwhile, the couple, from Fordlands Road, Fulford, also want to highlight the dangers of pre-eclampsia, which kills up to ten women and more than 500 babies every year, and alert other pregnant women to the warning signs.

They say these can include sudden and severe swelling, upper abdominal pain, high blood pressure and protein in the urine.

They urge anyone who suspects they may have the complication to consult their doctor so that tests can be carried out promptly.

The couple also want to support the charity Action on Pre-Eclampsia(APEC), which is seeking to improve detection, treatment and information on the disease.

They are asking for donations at Matthew's funeral, to be held at 1pm on Friday at St Oswald's Church in Fulford, to go to APEC and also to the Neonatal Special Care Unit at Stockton.

This is the second time in six months that the lack of intensive care cots at York has hit the headlines. Premature baby twins Jack and Ryan Murrie had to be transferred to St James' Hospital in Leeds last November because there weren't sufficient staff to care for them at York.

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