Husband's anger after wife dies of missed sepsis

The husband of a mother-of-two who died after hospital staff failed to spot sepsis has said "it's hard not to feel angry that I've lost my beautiful wife".

Sharzia Bibi, 28, was admitted to Wythenshawe Hospital on 14 November 2023 with severe stomach pain and died two days later after what a coroner ruled were failings in her care.

Her husband Hassan Naseer said he does not think he and his two sons, aged 4 and 2 "will ever get over losing Shariza the way we did".

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MUFT) apologised that "care fell short of the high standards to which we aspire", a trust spokesperson said.

An inquest at Manchester Coroner's Court found neglect contributed to Ms Bibi's death after medics failed to consider she had sepsis.

Coroner James Lester-Ashworth recorded a narrative conclusion, making six findings of gross failings in Ms Bibi's care which amounted to neglect.

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition triggered when a person's immune system overreacts to an infection and starts to damage the body's own tissues and organs, with symptoms that can be hard to spot.

Her father Khalad Sahid said the coroner's verdict demonstrated his daughter did not "receive the basic medical care that she so desperately needed".

"It's difficult not to think that Sharzia would still be alive had she had been given the care she deserved," he said.

The family instructed law firm Irwin Mitchell to bring a civil claim against MUFT, in which the trust admitted liability for her death.

The young mum from Levenshulme, Manchester was admitted to the emergency department at about 12:45 GMT on 14 November and had complained of severe stomach pain and bleeding following a recent medical procedure.

A spokesperson for Irwin Mitchell said medics did not consider she had sepsis despite her high heart rate and decreased functional ability, both signs of the condition.

They thought she had a water or pelvic infection and failed to monitor her properly or give her the correct treatment, the inquest concluded.

She was only diagnosed with sepsis after undergoing emergency surgery the next day after her condition deteriorated, and she later suffered a cardiac arrest and died early on 16 November.

Mr Hassan, 30, said when he took his wife to the hospital "at no point was I given any indication she had sepsis".

He is now bringing up his two sons alone and said the young family "had so many hopes and dreams for the future that we'll never get to fulfil".

He said: "It's too late for Sharzia but by speaking out I hope we can highlight the human cost of care issues so others don't have to go through what we have.

"Sharzia was an exceptional wife, mum, and daughter-in-law.

"I wouldn't wish the pain our family continues to experience on anyone."

An MUFT spokesman said the trust had conducted a "thorough investigation" into Ms Bibi's death.

He said: "We will be reviewing the coroner's conclusion carefully to ensure further learning for the trust is addressed and applied to our ongoing efforts to improve our patient safety, quality of care and experience."

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