The tragic loss of baby Tommy Starkie has left his parents, Alana and Paul Starkie, with an urgent quest for answers. The couple, who are farmers in Manjimup, Western Australia, are grappling with the sudden death of their newborn son, who lived for only 23 days.
Tommy was delivered in August at Western Australia’s sole public maternity hospital, arriving at a healthy weight of 4.1 kilograms and deemed full-term. Yet in less than a month, the Starkies found themselves in the throes of mourning.
Despite being discharged five days post-delivery, Alana Starkie continued to experience significant pain. Concerned, her general practitioner in Bridgetown recommended an MRI, which shockingly revealed she had been sent home with a tear in her uterus.
Alana recounted that during her stay at King Edward Memorial Hospital, the staff failed to inform her of the potential complications. An ultrasound conducted on September 1 at the hospital had indicated the “possibility of a uterine or broad ligament structure tear” along with a “significant volume of hemoperitoneum,” suggesting internal bleeding.
“I didn’t find that out because the hospital didn’t tell me,” Alana expressed, highlighting a critical communication failure that has compounded the Starkie family’s grief and spurred their search for accountability.
“I didn’t find that out because the hospital didn’t tell me,” Mrs Starkie said.
North Metropolitan Health Service chief executive Robert Toms said it was undertaking a “thorough investigation into the care provided”.
“We apologise sincerely to Mrs Starkie for her and her family’s distress and are deeply saddened by their loss,” he said.
The Starkies called it “a disgrace”.
“I walked in there with a healthy full term baby and now he’s in here,” Mrs Starkie said.
“We’re one of the wealthiest places in the world that can’t be our standard of care.”
The investigation into Tommy’s death is known as a severity assessment code 1 (SAC 1), saved for the most serious instances of harm in a hospital.
The coroner is also investigating.
