Man who died of sepsis was not treated urgently.

A 22-year-old man who died of sepsis did not receive the antibiotics and liquids, “with the urgency he should have,” said a forensic doctor.

William Hewes died within 24 hours of admission to Homerton University Hospital in East London after his meningitis, which was caused by a meningococcal infection, to sepsis in January 2023.

There were delays when he gave him potentially life-saving treatment due to communication errors between employees, said Mary Hassell, Senior Coroner for North London.

When she dropped a narrative judgment, she criticized the hospital, but added that “I just don’t know” if earlier treatment had saved Mr. Hewes.

His mother, Deborah Burns, who worked as a consultant in the same hospital, said she asked the employees on eight different occasions whether they gave him antibiotics.

“I was not to be seen, but I knew they were not given immediately,” she said.

“I thought the nurse prioritized other things, medication to treat his symptoms. They were not medication that would change the result of what he had.”

During the examination, the medical staff who treated him show that they do not remember that Dr. Burns asked for antibiotics eight times.

The forensic doctor Mary Hassell said that she had Dr. Burns’ evidence accepted at this point in time, although she assumed that the hospital staff was not intentionally untrue, but did not listen to the Chancellor’s instruction to administer antibiotics and liquids as well as medication for his symptoms.

She added that Mr. Hewes had not received the antibiotics and liquids with the urgency he should have.

Nevertheless, she concluded, the 22-year-old was already very uncomfortable when he arrived in the hospital, and it was not clear whether he had survived if he had been treated faster.

After the death of her son, Dr. Burns, specialist in pediatrics, communicated that the Homerton University Hospital will examine death.

But months later she learned that they had decided against an examination because “there were no delays, there were no concerns about his treatment”.

She told the BBC that she could “not understand why no investigation had been carried out … and also why I had not been informed about the result”.

Dr. Burns added that she was unable to return the work as she had planned because she says that the hospital had treated her family since her son’s death.

“I am now much more conscious of the deeply rooted, defensive culture within the NHS. I trusted them. I felt cheated,” she said.

“It was completely unnecessary. If it could happen to me, I really worry about the general population.”

The forensic doctor said that she would prevent the future death report from the Homerton University Hospital and request that you share the changes she had made since Mr. Hewes’ death.

Lawyer Deborah Nadel, Dr. Burns represented during the investigation, said: “The forensic doctor once again made it clear how concerned about making catastrophic mistakes in sepsis care.

“How often does a coroner have to characterize their concerns about the hospital practices related to sepsis, and how many times does a lawyer have to have the terrible effects on families on the change?”

A spokesman for the Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said Dr. Burn “told us that our guidelines and processes for this situation are inadequate and distant and that we are determined to learn from their experiences.

“This work ensures a more personal reaction for employees or members of your family who are patients here.”

The trust added that an action plan had been created after Mr. Hewes’s death, with changes to be introduced to ensure that an intensive care doctor participates in the bed of a patient with alleged sepsis and further training to recognize sepsis symptoms.

Symptoms include:

• Blow, spotty or blue skin, lips or tongue

• A rash that does not disappear if you roll a glass over it (do not blanch)

• Difficult to breathe or breathe very quickly

• feel confused or find it more difficult to speak so normally

• A weak, high scream that is not normal

• To wake up sleepier than normal or difficult to wake up

If you believe that you or someone you look after you have symptoms of sepsis, call 999 or go to A&E.

Source: NHS