Hospital admits to medical negligence as errors lead to brain injury of eight month old girl
20/09/2010
A mother has called for lessons to be learned after a hospital admitted that its failings led to an eight month old girl sustaining serious brain damage.
Colchester Hospital admitted medical negligence after significant delays in diagnosing and treating Ellie Sutton, now aged five, for meningitis later resulted in her suffering severe brain damage.
Ellie was referred to the paediatric unit at Colchester Hospital after her GP suspected that she was suffering from meningitis, but she was discharged less than an hour later after being seen by a medical student. Ellie was discharged despite an initial assessment recording her temperature as 39.9°c – higher than the hospital’s own guidelines which recommend that any child with a temperature of more than 38°c should be kept in and monitored hourly.
Even after Ellie's mother, Sarah Gill, took her back to the hospital later that evening and the doctor recommended her condition was investigated further, a medical review was not carried out until the ward rounds some eleven hours later. As a result of the delays, Ellie has been left with severe brain damage that will leave her requiring care and assistance for the rest of her life.
Medical law specialists at Irwin Mitchell, representing the family, are also supporting Meningitis Awareness week which runs from 20-26 September 2010, focusing on raising awareness of the illness in young people.
Sarah Gill said: "Ever since the illness Ellie has had some mobility problems due to weakness and sensory impairment in her right side, and she also now suffers from severe learning difficulties, limited speech and behavioural problems.
"What is most upsetting is that Ellie’s injuries could easily have been avoided, if only the hospital had followed its own guidelines and given Ellie a better standard of care. We put our trust in these professionals and they failed with disastrous consequences"
Medical negligence solicitors at Irwin Mitchell are now negotiating a care package on behalf of the family, after the Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust admitted that without the delays in treatment Ellie would have made a full recovery.
Tom Mather, Partner in the Medical Law team at Irwin Mitchell, said: "The hospital missed several opportunities to recognise that Ellie was severely ill, despite Ms Gill’s concern over her daughter's condition.
"It is particularly difficult to accept that the hospital did not follow its own guidelines, and that there was an 11 hour delay even when it had been acknowledged that Ellie may have been suffering from a serious illness.
"As a result of these errors Ellie will have very significant long term care needs and it is likely that she will never be able to look after herself, and we are working to ensure Ellie is provided with the very best rehabilitation and care available.
"It is vital the hospital learns lessons from these serious mistakes to make sure this situation can never happen again."
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