Photo credit: www.yahoo.com

Coroner Rules NHS Neglect Contributed to Teen’s Death from Sepsis

A mother has expressed her grief and frustration after her 13-year-old daughter tragically died in a hospital due to sepsis, citing a harmful belief within the NHS that views parents as bothersome rather than as vital sources of information and support. This statement follows a ruling by a coroner that concluded there were serious lapses in care by NHS staff that contributed to Chloe Longster’s untimely death.

The inquest, held on Friday, detailed critical failures in the hospital’s treatment of Chloe, including significant delays in sepsis screening and in the administration of necessary antibiotics.

Chloe, a resident of Market Harborough in Leicestershire, was taken to Kettering General Hospital on November 28, 2022, after suffering severe pain in her ribs. Prior to her hospital visit, she had been experiencing mild symptoms resembling a cold, but her mother, Louise Longster, described her as continuing with her normal routines in the days leading up to her hospitalization.

Once admitted, Chloe’s health rapidly declined, leading to her transfer from the paediatric ward, Skylark, to the intensive care unit (ICU). Despite the medical team’s efforts, including approximately 30 minutes of CPR, Chloe passed away the following morning while in cardiac arrest.

Before the inquest commenced, Ms. Longster shared her feelings of helplessness during the 18-and-a-half hours her daughter was under hospital care. “There is a pervasive belief that parents are an irritant and they’re wrong,” she noted, emphasizing the need for healthcare providers to show empathy and compassion towards critically ill children.

This incident echoes the recent introduction of Martha’s Rule across numerous hospitals, allowing families to request an urgent review of their loved one’s treatment. This protocol was established following another heartbreaking case involving Martha Mills, who also succumbed to sepsis due to failures in care.

During the inquest, Ms. Longster recounted a haunting moment when Chloe asked her if she was going to die, a stark reflection of her deteriorating condition. Medical examinations later revealed that Chloe’s chest x-ray showed “consolidation” in her left lung, initially leading to a misdiagnosis of pneumonia rather than an assessment for sepsis.

The family’s legal representative, Rachel Young, highlighted a “sequence of delays” and missed opportunities for timely intervention in Chloe’s case. She stated, “The evidence is clear – a sepsis screening did not happen when it should have taken place.”

The coroner, Ms. Lomas, concluded her verdict by underscoring the repeated failures to assess and react to the signs of Chloe’s deteriorating health. She noted that despite the opportunity for timely intervention, critical warning signs of septic shock went unrecognized, resulting in Chloe’s death being attributed, at least in part, to institutional neglect.

Chloe’s initial triage also revealed that her blood pressure was not recorded until nearly eight hours after her arrival, which could have triggered alerts for sepsis, as per the Paediatric Early Warning Score (PEWS) criteria. Further investigative reports indicated that a nurse failed to utilize the sepsis screening tool, a lapse she could not adequately explain during questioning.

In a moving tribute presented at the inquest, Chloe’s family described her as “an exceptional human being” and a child who embodied kindness. “She saw the world through a lens of kindness,” they said, lamenting that she was not shown the same compassion in return.

Prior to her illness, Chloe was described as healthy and active, enjoying gymnastics and dancing, with only mild asthma as a noted health complication. Following the inquest’s conclusion, Louise Longster expressed her mixed feelings of sorrow and relief regarding the coroner’s acknowledgment of neglect in her daughter’s care.

In response to the findings, Julie Hogg, chief nurse for the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire, extended sincere condolences to Chloe’s family and acknowledged the systemic failures in her care. She stated that significant strides have been made in sepsis management since Chloe’s passing, alongside improvements in staffing and patient communication, though she recognized that much work remains to be done.

Ms. Lomas concluded the proceedings by offering condolences to Chloe’s family, referring to her loss as tragic and emphasizing the vibrant life Chloe had ahead of her.

Source
www.yahoo.com