A DISTRAUGHT couple are reportedly considering suing a hospital for clinical negligence after their sick baby died after being left unattended.

Lee Foord suffered a cardiac arrest after staff at Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup, failed to clear his breathing tube and left him alone for half an hour when he was meant to be receiving 24-hour care.

Southwark Coroner's Court heard how Lee's breathing tube was not cleaned for four hours and had became partially blocked the tot died from brain damage a week later, just one day before his first birthday.

The baby boy was born to Lee and Caroline Foord, of Badgers Croft, Eltham, at Queen Mary's on April 21, 2000.

He was soon diagnosed with a rare liver disease and lung problem. He had a liver transplant at King's College Hospital before being sent back to Queen Mary's in January 2001 to be closer to his parents.

Lee had to breath through a 3.5mm tube inserted through his throat into his lungs.

Agency nurse Sihle Moyo was assigned to look after Lee and one other baby in the Queen Mary's Whiteoak ward. Moyo told the inquest she suctioned Lee's tube half an hour before she went off duty at 6.30am on April 14, 2001 but there was no record of this in Lee's notes.

Senior staff nurse Jan Bangari gave Lee some medication at 6.30am and instructed nurse Linda Wobil to take over his care. But at 7am a care assistant heard an alarm go off on the oxygen saturation monitor and rushed to investigate. Lee had suffered a cardiac arrest and, despite being resuscitated, died six days later.

Coroner Selena Lynch said at the inquest on April 15, she did not believe the tube had been cleaned after 3am.

Recording a verdict of an accident contributed to by neglect she added: "Any failure to keep the tube clean would be catastrophic. I'm satisfied he was left unattended for at least 30 minutes before being found in a distressed state."

The Crown Prosecution Service decided there was insufficient evidence to prosecute anyone in connection with Lee's death.