'Lessons to be learned' following toddler's death

The mother of a two-year-old boy who died after being told he had constipation has said there were "lessons to be learned" following his death.

Hudson Cole Perrins, from Willenhall, died four days after he was taken to New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton with stomach pain.

His mother, Kayleigh Taundry, said she wanted the hospital's trust to learn from failings within his care.

A Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust spokesperson again offered its condolences and said it was "always mindful of areas for improvement as highlighted in our own investigation".

At an inquest on Monday, a coroner concluded Hudson died as a result of natural causes, with his cause of death given as a brain injury caused by a urinary tract infection that had affected his kidneys and caused sepsis.

However, assistant coroner Kelly Dixon said a verdict of natural causes did not mean there had not been failings.

Ms Taundry, who also works for the trust, said the inquest conclusion "didn't come as a surprise" and urosepsis had been given "on the balance of probability" as "they couldn't find any other infection".

Speaking to BBC Radio WM, she said "cheeky" and "loving" Hudson had been born with congenital heart defects which were operated on when he was just seven-months-old.

"He was also born with hydronephrosis which is a swelling of his kidney. So given that information, I believe that the hospital should have considered his complex medical history, which I don't think that they did," she said.

"They treated him as a typical child."

She said she believed staff at the trust "went with the most obvious cause" and diagnosed constipation.

"The fact he had only one working kidney... a differential diagnosis should have been explored, which it wasn't," Ms Taundry explained.

Ms Taundry said if the trust had taken a urine sample, blood test or conducted an ultrasound scan, it would have shown his bladder was full of urine and they could have started antibiotics earlier.

After Hudson was discharged, he returned to the hospital before he was transferred to Birmingham Children's Hospital's paediatric intensive care unit.

"I just want lessons to be learned," Ms Taundry added.

"I acknowledge that there's been failings and I want them to recognise these and learn from them."

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