A toddler died just hours after going to A&E because doctors allegedly failed to recognise her symptoms.
Zadie Ajetunmobi was taken to Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford, Essex, in November 2022 suffering from a high temperature – but she died ten hours later following a cardiac arrest.
Her devastated family were apparently unaware she had died from sepsis until the results of a post-mortem examination two months later, which proved she had the deadly infection.
They now claim her death could have been prevented if she had received the correct treatment in A&E.
An inquest has been scheduled for today.
Parents Theo and Rhiannon told MailOnline: “She was a thriving, healthy child.
“There was no mention of sepsis, so afterwards we were left in limbo trying to deduce what happened.”
Zadie initially attended Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford with a raised temperature, at which point she was seen by an out-of-hours GP who diagnosed her with tonsillitis and sent her home after prescribing her with antibiotics.
However, her mother brought her back three days later, with the little girl once again suffering from a raised temperature, after being told to do so by 111.
On this occasion, her father said doctors failed to give the toddler antibiotics for more than seven hours after she arrived at 10pm. She died at 7.42am the following day.
In a ‘root cause analysis investigation’ report shared in March 2023, Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust accepted that there had been a delay in administering antibiotics, Mr Ajetunmobi said.
The Trust also acknolwedged its failure to update guidance on tackling sepsis. If this been done, Zadie’s illness would have triggered the sepsis treatment ‘pathway’ .
The family hopes to get some answers at the two-day hearing, being held after lawyers from Kingsley Napley successfully argued their case.
Diane Sarkar, the Trust’s chief nursing and quality officer, said: “We took action to ensure better processes were in place.”