WARNING DISTRESSING CONTENT: An inquest is being held into the death of ten-week-old Phoebe-Rose Douglas, who died after suffering a cardiac arrest at a property in 2019
A baby who tragically died after exposure to heroin and cocaine was discovered with dirt under her fingernails and armpits upon arrival at the hospital.
Nurses expressed concerns about the ‘unkempt and smelly’ state of Phoebe-Rose Douglas when she was rushed to the Royal Stoke University Hospital, an inquest has been told, Stoke on Trent Live reports.
Paramedics were summoned to a property on Meaford Drive, Blurton, following reports that the 10-week-old was suffering from cardiac arrest on the morning of 25 October 2019. She was transported to the hospital’s paediatric intensive care unit, but sadly passed away four days later on 29 October.
A urine test conducted on 29 October revealed traces of cocaine, the inquest heard. Hair sample tests indicated that she had been exposed to cocaine, heroin and cannabis.
Parents Rachel Bourne and John Douglas both pleaded guilty to child cruelty at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court in 2024. Bourne received a prison sentence of 31 months, while Douglas was handed a 10-month custodial sentence, suspended for two years.
An inquest into Phoebe-Rose’s death is currently underway this week at Swann House, Stoke.
The inquest was informed that Phoebe-Rose was born in Halifax in August 2019, where her father resided. She returned to Stoke-on-Trent a month later with her mother.
The inquest was informed that Phoebe-Rose’s parents were both drug users. Prior to her birth, several referrals had been made to social services due to concerns about the family, including their housing conditions in July 2019. They were subsequently evicted from the property where drug paraphernalia was later discovered.
Phoebe-Rose missed her initial round of routine immunisations and a standard developmental check by a GP, typically scheduled for when a child is six to eight weeks old.
On the morning of 25 October, Phoebe-Rose’s mother woke at around 5am, picked her up, and found her to be limp. The West Midlands Ambulance Service was promptly notified.
Phoebe-Rose was resuscitated, according to the inquest. However, hospital scans revealed she had sustained severe brain damage due to oxygen deprivation, and on 29 October, the decision was taken to withdraw life support.
Paediatrician Dr Deborah Stalker informed the inquest that hospital discharge notes from Phoebe-Rose’s birth showed no signs of neonatal abstinence syndrome – withdrawal symptoms newborns may experience if exposed to opiates in their mother’s womb.
“But she was a bit of a struggle to feed, reading between the lines of notes”, added Dr Stalker. “There was also evidence that feeding bottles were not sterilised prior to use – that had been observed in hospital.”
When Phoebe-Rose was hospitalised in October 2019, “she was unkempt and she was unclean”, stated Dr Stalker. She further noted: “She was smelly and she had dirty fingernails and feet and creases under arms and neck.”
Dr Roger Malcolmson, a consultant paediatric and perinatal pathologist, participated in the post-mortem examinations following Phoebe-Rose’s death. He informed the inquest that she was “relatively small”.
“There was no evidence of external injuries of any significance that would suggest a pattern of physical abuse”, he said. “Her brain was swollen, which correlates with injury to brain cells and hypoxia (reduced oxygen to the brain). There was no obvious underlying cause. I think the biggest risk factor for this death we can identify from the history is maternal drug use and smoking.”
The inquest continues.