Girl, four, dies of sepsis after ‘missed opportunities’ in hospitals

The parents of a “caring” four-year-old girl who “loved helping people” have paid their tribute after she died of sepsis after “missing opportunities” at multiple hospitals.

Eva Hayden was taken to Alder Hey’s emergency department in Liverpool following her collapse in January 2020. Despite the best efforts of her father and paramedics to revive her, she died.

Her mother Michelle, 50, said: “We remember Eva as such a caring little girl and in her short life she just loved helping people. Even in kindergarten, if a little girl had trouble adjusting, Eva would take her under her wing to such an extent that the little girl would only come to kindergarten when Eva was there.

“I know Eva would not want this to happen to any other child or family. She was special and so we remember her as a special gift to the world for a short time.”

Little Eva, from Kirkby, first developed an infection in her left foot in October 2019 when she was admitted to Ormskirk District General Hospital. She was transferred to Alder Hey and discharged on October 23 on oral antibiotics.

Eva Hayden (pictured) was taken to the Alder Hey emergency room in Liverpool after collapsing just weeks after Christmas in January 2020. Despite the best attempts by her father and paramedics to revive her, she died.

Eva’s mother Michelle (pictured), 50, said: “We remember Eva as such a caring little girl and in her short life she just loved helping people. Even in kindergarten, when a little girl was struggling to settle in, Eva took her under her wing so much that the little girl only came to kindergarten when Eva was there.’

A blood analysis revealed she was suffering from neutropenia and the young girl had three more tests at Ormskirk Hospital in November but her blood count was low. Despite this, no action was taken and no further tests ordered, her family said.

But in January of the following year, she fell ill with a fever and developed a rash on most of her body and pain in her feet when walking.

She attended Kirkby’s walk-in center where the family were advised to take her straight to A&E at Alder Hey – but she was discharged with a virus.

On January 10, her mother Michelle, 50, started her night shift as a helper and the next morning Eva’s condition worsened. Her father Ged was unable to revive her and her death was confirmed in the emergency room around 7am on January 11th.

It was soon revealed that Eve had developed sepsis after her family were not warned about the risks of an illness being studied and her daughter’s potential susceptibility to the infection.

Two hospital trusts have since apologized to Eva’s parents for their “poor communication” after a coroner called for changes to their practices to prevent future deaths.

Eva’s official cause of death was sepsis and bone marrow hypoplasia.

Little Eva (pictured) from Kirkby first developed an infection in her left foot in October 2019 when she was admitted to Ormskirk District General Hospital. She was transferred to Alder Hey and discharged on October 23 on oral antibiotics

Coroner Andre Rebello said doctors “missed opportunities”.

Ormskirk General Hospital and Alder Hey Children’s Hospital have now apologized to the family.

Her mother Michelle added: “We feel so disappointed that Eva was lost in a system of two hospitals looking after her. We only found out about Eva’s neutropenia and its severity on examination almost two years after her death, which hit us so hard.

“If we had known that, we would have done everything we could to ensure our little girl received the right treatment.

“It’s really hard to believe that a doctor didn’t sit down with us to discuss this and how things could have been so different. We cannot believe how poor the attitude of the hospitals has been with such a serious condition.

“They were so indifferent and at no point did we feel that Eva’s health was endangered by this condition. We just want that we learn from it and that no other families have to suffer like we do.”

Rachael Heyes, a specialist medical attorney at law firm JMW handling the family’s case, said: “It is absolutely amazing that a young child with such a serious condition can receive such poor treatment and care.

“Eva was a vibrant little girl who loved life and she relied on the hospital staff to protect her and make sure she got all the follow-up care she needed.

“She just fell through the cracks but it is totally unacceptable that this has happened in a modern healthcare system where policies and protocols are in place to prevent this.”

Both Hospital Trusts said there had been a “series of mistakes” and lessons learned.

A spokesman for the Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust said: “The Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation is deeply sorry for the communication failures that led to Eva’s death.

“Both Hospital Trusts have acknowledged their liability early on in this tragic case and we extend our deepest condolences to Eva’s family.

“Investigations revealed a number of shortcomings and both trusts have learned from this devastating case to avoid similar mistakes in the future.”

A spokesman for the Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust added: “The Trust extends its sincere condolences to Eva’s family for their devastating loss.

“After Eva’s death, an immediate and thorough investigation was conducted and action plans were implemented to ensure lessons were learned.”

In April 2018, 15-month-old Evie Crandle died of sepsis after being sent home from Whiston Hospital on ibuprofen and Calpol when her parents accused medical staff of “abandoning her in the worst possible way”.

Two pediatric nurses who saw Evie both recounted how they observed they “forgot” to fill out sepsis charts and have been given more training since then.

One asked if the toddler had any symptoms of “waterborne infection,” while the other admitted she had not completed a sepsis trail on her triage form.

Little Evie was sent home and died two days later at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, where she had been admitted to intensive care.

Medical staff have also been blamed after the death of a six-year-old autistic girl, Coco Bradford, who died on July 31, 2017 after spending time at the Royal Cornwall Hospital.

An independent report criticized the hospital, revealing that doctors and consultants missed “several opportunities” to save the six-year-old’s life, while an inquest found how staff at the hospital had “unforgivably” tried to cover up their own mistakes through finger-pointing her daughter’s autism.

SIX MAJOR SIGNS OF SEPSIS

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition caused when the body releases chemicals to fight an infection.

These chemicals damage the body’s tissues and organs and can lead to shock, organ failure, and death.

Organ failure and death are more likely if sepsis is not recognized early and treated promptly.

Sepsis infects an estimated 55,000 Australians each year and kills between 5,000 and 9,000, making it more than four times deadlier than road tolls.

Symptoms can look like gastro or flu and can quickly become fatal.

The six most important signs of something potentially deadly can be identified by the acronym “SEPSIS”:

• Slurred speech or confusion, lethargy, disorientation
• Extreme shaking or muscle pain, fever, or low temperature
• Pressing on a rash will not make it fade
• Severe shortness of breath, rapid breathing
• Inability to urinate for several hours
• Mottled or discolored skin

Children can also exhibit convulsions or seizures and a rash that doesn’t fade when pressed — and more than 40 percent of cases occur in children under the age of five.

Anyone who develops these symptoms should seek urgent medical help — and doctors should ask, “Could this be sepsis?”

Sepsis is a leading cause of preventable death, killing around 10,000 Australians each year

The early symptoms of sepsis can easily be mistaken for milder conditions, making diagnosis difficult.

A high temperature (fever), chills and tremors, rapid heartbeat and rapid breathing are also signs.

A patient can quickly deteriorate if sepsis is overlooked early, so prompt diagnosis and treatment is critical – but this rarely happens.

In the early stages, sepsis can be mistaken for a chest infection, the flu, or an upset stomach.

It is most common and dangerous in older adults, pregnant women, children under the age of one, people with chronic medical conditions, or people with compromised immune systems.