9-year-old killed as a result of sepsis misdiagnosis

Posted: March 15, 2016

Posted in: Medical Negligence NHS Claims Wrongful & Accidental Death 

A nine-year-old boy lost his life after being sent home from an Accident and Emergency ward suffering from undiagnosed sepsis. Dame Julie Mellor, Health Service Ombudsman, highlighted the case in a report recently published, claiming that doctors at Whiston Hospital, Merseyside sent Thomas Hull home after diagnosing him with a “mild chest infection”. She claims that he was seen by a medic who was trying to free beds up in the unit, and states that more mistakes were made during his consultation.

Thomas was taken to the A&E unit by his mother, Donna, at around 8 in the evening in December 2013. He suffered from cerebral palsy and epilepsy, and was originally seen by a consultant who suspected he was suffering from sepsis.  The consultant failed to pass his suspicions on to other medical staff and Thomas’s mother, herself a nurse.

“mild chest infection”

Thomas was then seen at midnight by another doctor, who discharged him with a “mild chest infection”. Following the youngster’s death, a doctor from Whiston Hospital was suspended pending investigations into alleged misrepresentations surrounding the timings of Thomas’s care at the hospital.

37-year-old Donna Hull stated that she would never have taken him out of the hospital had she known that there was suspicion of sepsis. She went on to say that she knew all about sepsis as Thomas had suffered from it in the past. She also stated: “I never thought there would be so much deceit over a child’s death”.

If you have been affected by medical negligence, and are looking to claim compensation, please contact us. 

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