A senior doctor told an inquiry it is "possible" earlier medical intervention may have avoided the death of a baby born in a birthing pool.

Nevaeh Stewart died just three and a half hours after she was born at Montrose Royal Infirmary's community midwife unit on September 30, 2012.

A fatal accident inquiry into her death is being held at Forfar Sheriff Court where her father, Gary Stewart, 30, of Auchenblae, Aberdeenshire, earlier described the facility as an "emergency response black spot".

Dr Peter Fowlie, director of neonatal transport for NHS Tayside, told the inquiry on Monday that health boards do not have the resources to ensure a "flying squad" of medics to rush to community midwife units in case of an emergency.

He added: "It is possible that earlier intervention might have altered the outcome. If support had been available sooner it is possible.

"But there are babies who are unexpectedly born in a compromised state across the UK and a small number of them, even if they were born in a facility with a neo-natal unit, would die."

The consultant paediatrician was also asked about the safety of water births.

Fiscal depute Andrew Ramsay asked: "There is a significant difference of opinion between experiences around the safety of water birth?"

Dr Fowlie responded: "The debate still exists about whether it is safe for baby to be delivered in water. There is a reasonable body of evidence to suggest that labouring in water is potentially helpful to the mother.

"The evidence about delivering in water is still uncertain. There is ongoing difference of opinion about whether birth in the water is safe for the baby."

Mr Ramsay quoted an American study from Dr Fowlie's report on the death, which stated "Immersion during the second stage of labour has no proven benefit to mother and baby, and can potentially have adverse, even fatal, risks."

Water birthing should be considered an "experimental procedure" which should only be carried out "within the context of a clinical trial with informed consent", the quote concluded.

Dr Fowlie agreed he supported this view. He also gave evidence on support for midwife units, which operate without doctors on site, in case of emergencies.

He said: "There is not enough resource to be able to guarantee that we can release staff immediately from neonatal units to community midwife units.

"It requires a certain level of training and experience to undertake neonatal transport medicine. There are some occasions where there are no neonatal staff available with experience of that."

The inquiry, before Sheriff Pino di Emidio, continues.