‘I touched his arm and it was cold’: Mum’s heartbreaking story of how baby died after NHS 111 helpline failed him
A DEVASTATED mum has shared her heartbreak over her baby son's death - which
came after a number of NHS blunders.
Melissa Mead said it was "evident there were failings" after doctors
repeatedly told her not to worry as little William became dangerously ill.
The grieving mum described a shock report that today found the NHS
out-of-hours phone line is unsafe for seriously ill children as "soul-destroying".
Melissa broke down in tears as she told how despite multiple trips to her GP
and a phone call to 111 she found her 12-month-old son dead in his cot.
Tearfully, she said: "I rubbed his cheek and it was warm and he didn't
move, so I put my arm through the bars of the cot and touched his arm and it
was cold.
"So I pulled the curtain and he was gone."
Little William died from sepsis- the UK's second biggest killer, despite
taking him to doctors multiple times.
She added: "I was checking William all the time for a rash, because it's
drummed into your head to check for a rash.
"I didn't think sepsis because I didn't know what sepsis was."
It has now emerged parents calling the 24-hour 111 service are at the mercy of
a box-ticking process that can miss deadly symptoms.
The finding is part of an NHS England report into the 2014 sepsis death of
one-year-old William.
Staff answering 111 calls use computer scripts and most are not medically
trained.
The report reveals a deteriorating child like William is “not easily
identified through the structured questioning” staff use.
And it said William might be alive today if a 111 call worker had realised how
ill he was.
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Speaking on Good Morning Britain as she clutched a teddy bear containing
William's ashes, Melissa said: "We did what we were told to do we
followed their guidance and went to the doctors and we trusted their
judgement, their reassurance on multiple occasions.
"We rang 111 because we were concerned... we listened to the advice give
and heeded that advice.
"The system is not sensitive at all to sepsis and the deterioration in a
peadiatric patient."
NHS England said a doctor or nurse may have spotted sepsis if they had seen
the tot but the report found the call made by William’s mum Melissa to 111
was poorly dealt with.
It also found that the computer programme “did not cover” William’s key sepsis
symptoms. His crying was also not picked up.
But the report also found that even when operating properly, the 111 system
would not have picked up William’s illness.
William’s parents Paul and Melissa, from Cornwall, campaigned for a year to
find out the truth.
The report outlined 16 blunders that contributed to his death, including GPs’
failure to check for signs of sepsis or to give life-saving antibiotics.
Melissa, 29, has called for lessons to be learnt from her son’s untimely
death.
Tory MP Andrew Percy said 111 is “clearly not fit for purpose”.
NHS England apologised to Melissa and Paul and said “systems that underpin
patient safety” would be improved.