'Baby Archie's life was heartbreakingly short'

A family has said "words cannot describe our experience" after their one-year-old baby died at a Kent hospital.

Archie Squire suffered heart failure after repeated visits to the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEQM) Hospital in Margate.

His godmother Nikki Escudier told an inquest into the toddler's death they had "368 precious days" with Archie that were "filled with warmth and love".

"He was more than a baby - he was a gift," she told the inquest at North East Kent Coroner's Court in Maidstone.

Holding back tears, Ms Escudier added his life had been "heartbreakingly short".

Describing the last moments of Archie's life as doctors tried to resuscitate him, his mother Lauren Parrish said the family was told by hospital staff his heart was beating, but "not as it should be".

"We agreed to let him go," she said in a statement read out by coroner Sarah Clarke.

"We all gave Archie a kiss."

Archie had a rare heart condition that went undetected before his death on 23 November 2023.

He had been reviewed in the A&E and Urgent Care Centre at QEQM Hospital more than 10 times over his life with symptoms including constipation, breathlessness and failure to thrive.

Ms Parrish said at the inquest her son would cry in pain "a lot".

She described how he frequently became unsettled and would struggle to breathe, which became worse at night.

"He was making strange grunting noises," Ms Parrish added.

The day after his first birthday, Archie was taken to hospital with constipation and vomiting. He died two days later following two cardiac arrests.

East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust expressed its "heartfelt condolences" to Archie's family.

It did not issue a further comment to the BBC.

A serious incident investigations report by the trust, seen by the BBC, found there were "missed opportunities to diagnose him appropriately".

Archie's parents have said hospital staff showed a "lack of compassion" after their son died.

The inquest started on 19 May and is set to last six days.

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