A coroner has criticised a Kent trust over the deaths of two new mothers with herpes and ruled they should have been treated earlier.

Kimberley Sampson, from Whitstable, and Hawkinge mum Samantha Mulcahy, died just six weeks apart in 2018 at two hospitals run by the East Kent Hospitals Trust.

Subsequent investigations revealed they had contracted infections caused by the herpes virus.

The coroner’s originally decided not to hold inquests into the two deaths, but U-turned after it was revealed both C-sections may have been performed by the same surgeon, who could potentially have infected the women with herpes.

But today, in County Hall in Maidstone, when summarising the evidence, coroner Catherine Wood, said: “It was unlikely the obstetrician was the common source of the infection that lead to their deaths” and ruled out unlawful killing and negligence.

Yet in a summary of her findings, the coroner said both women could have been given an anti-viral treatment sooner.

The obstetrician, who cannot be named due to legal reasons, provided emergency c-sections to both young mums within eight weeks of each other but strongly denied being the source of the infection.

During an inquest at the same court in April, there were disagreements over a number of pieces of evidence relating to him, as well as midwife Dominique Bicker, both of whom had clinical contact with the two mothers during their operations.

Both insisted to the court that at no point after the tragic deaths were they offered – or asked to take – antibody tests to see if they had previously been infected with herpes.

Both stated that in each operation, the surgeons involved maintained strict hygiene standards – up to World Health Organisation guidelines.

This included wearing gloves, scrubs, and other protective gear, with surgeons also wearing masks.

However, Peter Greenhouse – a sexual health consultant with expertise in gynecology and sexually transmitted infections in women – later told the court: “Exposure [to the virus] at the time of surgery is unquestionably the most likely explanation.”

Mr Greenhouse explained medical evidence showed the chances of Ms Sampson and Ms Mulcahy’s infections coming from a “common source” is “very high”.

He insisted there is no “biologically plausible explanation” as to how the two women might have been infected in the community prior to admission to hospital.

Mr Greenhouse also said sexual transmission was “enormously unlikely”.

The inquest looked at two theories which could indicate that the doctor who conducted both women’s surgeries was a potential source of infection.

The first theory indicates there could have been a droplet infection at the time of the surgery, while Mr Greenhouse supported a theory that suggests the infection could have come from a whitlow, which is a herpes infection of the finger.

However today it has been ruled on the balance of probability both are unlikely.

Despite the chances of the mothers deaths being extremely rare, Ms Wood said “correlation is not causation”.

However given the tragedies, Ms Wood will now write a prevention of future deaths report to the Royal College Obstetricians and Gynaecologists with the hope of preventing any one else from dying in the same way.

She said: “What is abundantly clear, this is a rare but fatal disease and more needs to be done to raise awareness of herpes.

“All of the evidence suggests early recognition is likely to lead to a more positive outcome.”

It comes after the families of the young mums had to endure a four-month-long delay for answers, to allow for lengthy legal arguments between members of the press, legal representatives of East Kent Hospitals Trust, and the obstetrician, who belatedly sought legal counsel of his own to prevent him from being named.

The coroner said those involved who suggested it was the surgeon were trying to “plug the gap” with a possible explanation but she ruled it was unlikely and that “statistical coincidences can occur”.

The hearing on July 14 also heard a legal challenge from journalists to lift the anonymity order applied for by the trust to stop the surgeon being named.

EKHUT previously argued its anonymity order was to protect the reputation and mental health of its staff member from what it claimed would be damaging media reports of the case, but the media’s bid argued the fears for the surgeon were speculative.

Ms Wood also adjourned her decision over the anonymity until the same hearing on July 26.

A spokeswoman for the trust, said: "We would like to express our sincere condolences to the families of Samantha Mulcahy and Kimberley Sampson. We are unable to comment further until the inquest has concluded."