Maddy Lawrence inquest: Student who died from sepsis 'let down' by hospital

Medical staff giving evidence at an inquest for a student who died in hospital have said she was "let down".

Maddy Lawrence, 20, was admitted to hospital in Bristol after dislocating a hip in a University of the West of England rugby match on 9 March 2022.

She died on 25 March after developing an infection in intensive care.

Dominique Duma, deputy chief nurse at North Bristol NHS Trust said: "She was let down. She didn't have observations. It simply wasn't good enough."

Previously, the inquest heard how Southmead Hospital staff did not record observations about her for 16 hours. and that she could have survived if the infection, which likely led to sepsis or toxic shock syndrome, had been treated sooner.

A system was in place called News - a national early warning score - that should have indicated any deterioration in Ms Lawrence's condition.

Ms Duma became emotional when asked by the coroner about her reaction to seeing the 20-year-old's News chart.

"I was shocked, very cross and confused," she said.

"My clinical background is in intensive care, and our culture there about measurements is inbuilt. It's like cleaning teeth every day.

"This is an absolute pillar of nursing care. Staff from new nurses to experienced nurses didn't do what they should have done," she added.

Juliette Hughes, deputy chief nursing officer at North Bristol NHS Trust addressed claims from the family's barrister about the way nurses dealt with Ms Lawrence.

Jonathan Jones KC said: "Maddy said she felt like she was being treated like a difficult patient, and the nurses were fed up with her.

"Has anything been done about that attitude?"

Ms Hughes said it was "horrifying, and I'm really sorry Maddy felt that way."

She added: "If that's the way we made her feel then it's something we will never forget.

"I can't say strongly enough to Maddy's family how incredibly sorry we all are, and I give you my assurance we will learn from this."

Consultant, Dr Alasdair Bott, agreed an unconscious bias played a role in Ms Lawrence's care.

"She was a young, fit and healthy woman. In a sense was there an assumption she was fine?" the coroner asked him.

"Entirely, people were falsely reassured by that," replied Dr Bott.

The inquest is due to conclude on Friday.

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