Neglect at hospital contributed to teen's death

A coroner has ruled that neglect and a series of failures at an NHS hospital contributed to the death of a 13-year-old girl, who had pneumonia and sepsis.

Chloe Longster, from Market Harborough in Leicestershire, died in November 2022 one day after being admitted to Kettering General Hospital in Northamptonshire.

Her mother told the inquest into her death that Chloe was previously healthy, but after the administration of painkillers and antibiotics was delayed, her daughter had asked whether she was going to die.

The University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (UHN) NHS Group apologised to her family and said it had made "a number of changes since Chloe’s death" to improve sepsis screening.

Delivering her conclusion at Northampton Coroner's Court, assistant coroner Sophie Lomas said Chloe might have survived if she had received appropriate treatment earlier.

"There were several missed opportunities to recognise Chloe’s deteriorating condition."

There was a "clear causal link between these missed opportunities and Chloe’s death," she said.

She described a "series of shortcomings" which "lead me to record that Chloe’s death was contributed to by neglect".

Ms Lomas also said she may consider referring the hospital to various regulatory bodies.

More than 50 families previously reported concerns about Skylark children's ward to the BBC and the health watchdog raised its rating from inadequate to requires improvement in May.

Chloe, who had no serious underlying health conditions, was admitted to the Skylark children’s ward on 28 November 2022 with chest pain and flu-like symptoms.

Checks that might have alerted doctors to sepsis were not carried out and treatment was delayed, according to evidence presented this week.

Chloe's mother, Louise Longster, told the inquest that her daughter was "wincing and squirming" from pain while in hospital.

She said: "Chloe asked if she could be put to sleep because it was unbearable. I remember thinking how pale and clammy she looked.

"It's harrowing to see your own child in so much pain."

She said she felt that she was being a "nuisance" and "dramatic" because she was trying to get more help for her daughter.

The inquest heard how a routine check was missed and Chloe also waited hours for intubation, despite a registrar recording that she needed more oxygen.

A paediatric expert who carried out an independent review highlighted poor communication between departments and delayed antibiotic delivery.

Chloe’s mum and dad, Dave Longster, said "lessons must truly be learned" after the ruling.

"Both mine and Chloe's grave concerns were either ignored or not taken seriously," said Mrs Longster.

"The pain of losing Chloe will never go away, she was the best of us. A lover of life that will no longer be able to experience it."

Julie Hogg, group chief nurse for UHN, said: "We would like to offer our deepest condolences to Chloe’s parents, her family and her friends.

"When Chloe was at her most vulnerable she did not get the care that she should have, and when Chloe had passed away her family were not treated with the compassion and empathy they deserved, and for that I’m truly sorry."

She added that the hospital had "rolled out a robust training programme and an audit programme" for the screening and treatment of sepsis.

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