11-week-old baby died from E.coli infection after doctors missed danger signs
Parents of little Padraig Henry claim they still have not received an apology from the hospital three years after his tragic death
AN 11-week-old baby died eight days after surgery when doctors missed a fatal E. coli infection, ‘losing a swab’ which would have flagged it up.
The devastated parents of little Padraig Henry claim they still have not received an apology from the hospital three years after his tragic death.
Padraig was born in April 2013 at Leighton Hospital in Crewe, Cheshire at just 27 weeks before being transferred to Liverpool's Alder Hey Children's Hospital with a suspected perforated bowel.
Colin Henry and Karen Bailey’s lawyers claim doctors failed to diagnose the E. coli straight away, lost a swab which would have highlighted the infection and failed to provide vital antibiotics in time.
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Dad-of-two Colin said: "We were deeply distraught to find out our son's life had been cut short by blunders and failings in care.
"If we had known the hospital was experiencing an E. coli outbreak we would never have allowed him to have surgery on that day.
"What's even more saddening is that it's very likely that if those mistakes had not happened, Padraig would still be with us today.
"We have been fighting for three years for Alder Hey to admit liability and feel very let down that they can't give us a full detailed apology – even though they have admitted their wrongdoings.
"No one from the hospital got in touch with us directly.
"It was human error. But they should have just admitted to their mistakes. It's frustrating.
"It has been a long time. A full apology isn't closure exactly, but at least we would be able to have a quieter life again.
"We just don't want it to happen to anyone else. If this can help parents with questions to push for more answers if they don't think something is right. It could save a child's life."
This September Alder Hey Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust admitted a breach of duty in Padraig's care and paid out £17,500 in compensation to settle the claim.
Now Colin, 44, and 40-year-old Karen claim despite the trust admitting a breach of duty bosses have still not contacted them directly with a formal apology.
And the devastated couple said they only learned the hospital had issued a public apology to press after hearing this on the radio.
In their statement, Alder Hey Hospital bosses apologised and admitted infection prevention procedures were not implemented properly.
Joiner and driver Colin and full-time carer Karen claim they did not realise the hospital was at high risk of an E. coli outbreak until the inquest into Padraig's death.
Colin added: "The nurses were fantastic at caring for him, you could tell they were throwing everything at him trying to save him, but you could tell he'd already gone. He was fighting a lot of infections.”
A spokesperson for Alder Hey Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: "We wish to offer our sincere condolences and apologies to the family of this child.
"The Trust deeply regrets this incident in 2013 and accepts that it failed to implement its infection prevention procedures appropriately.
"A full internal investigation was immediately undertaken and we can confirm that lessons have been learnt and failings addressed to ensure this does not happen again.
"A contributing factor to this incident was the limited infection control facilities at that time with just one isolation cubicle being available."
They added: "In 2015, we opened a new hospital featuring wards which are specifically designed to meet the highest levels of infection control, safety and quality care."
Christian Beadell, a senior solicitor and clinical negligence specialist at Fletchers Solicitors, who handled Colin and Karen's case, said: "Not only should the trust have taken adequate precautions to prevent Padraig from contracting E. coli, but an opportunity to detect and treat the infection was missed.
"Alder Hey Children's Hospital failed in its duty of care, resulting in the tragic death of a young baby.
"The family is absolutely devastated but determined that lessons are learned so that no one else suffers the same tragedy."
What is ecoli and what are the symptoms?
The disease can infect people if they eat any food contaminated with the bacteria.
And sufferers can then spread the illness through contact with other people, especially if they don’t stick to good hygiene practices such as regular hand washing.
Symptoms of the infection include diarrhoea, stomach cramps and occasionally fever, according to the NHS
Bloody diarrhoea will affect around half of the people who contract the bacterial infection, with symptoms commonly emerging three to four days after the initial infection – although they can begin sooner that that.
The symptoms, which last for up to two weeks, can develop into a serious condition called haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) in some E. coli sufferers, although this is rare.
HUS, which is most likely to occur in children under five, can result in kidney failure and death, although not everyone infected even displays any symptoms of the disease.