An assistant coroner has found that neglect by medics contributed to the death of Aleisha Rochester, a 33-year-old bank cashier from Croydon, who died from sepsis after a routine operation to remove an abscess from her left armpit in August 2023. According to assistant coroner Sian Reeves, Ms Rochester was prescribed antibiotics that were not the type to treat the bacterial infection, and staff at St Epsom and St Helier University Hospital failed to follow the trust's own guidelines on administering antibiotics. Ms Rochester would have most likely lived had she been given the right antibiotics in time, the coroner said. The trust has apologized, and Ms Rochester's mother Lorna is suing the NHS trust. Ms Rochester suffered from hidradenitis suppurativa, which causes abscesses on the skin, and had an operation to remove abscesses from her armpit and groin on August 5, 2023. After August 10, she became unwell and the wound to her left armpit became infected. On August 13, she attended an out-of-hours GP appointment and was prescribed a course of penicillin-based antibiotic. On the same day, she went to A&E at Croydon University Hospital, where doctors said she had a wound infection and discharged her home with a plan to continue the antibiotics. On the evening of August 14, she went to A&E at St Helier hospital, was administered a dose of flucloxacillin intravenously, and sent home with a plan to return the next day. She returned the next day and was seen by a junior doctor, a senior house officer, and then a specialist. Her eight-year-old son Xavier is left without a mother.
Other sepsis deaths have also been linked to hospital errors. Coroner Andrew Bridgman found that Joshua Abbot-Littler died from sepsis due to cross-contamination from another patient on the ward, linked to poor hand hygiene. Yara died from septic shock within hours of developing symptoms initially thought to be stomach flu, according to her parents Lina Salman and Moustafa El Heidari. Diarra Brown died from sepsis after undergoing cosmetic surgery in Turkey, despite being reassured by doctors, according to inquest evidence and her mother Daisy Brown. The specific failures leading to Joshua's cross-contamination and the exact timeline of care for Yara before her death remain unclear.
The trust has apologized.
Mental health and eating disorder treatment failures have also been highlighted. Ella Louise Murray died by suicide after her cries for help were not taken seriously, according to her mother Natalie James and coroner Catherine Wood. Charlotte Murphy died after being repeatedly denied access to eating disorder treatment due to her weight, according to her mother Lesley Murphy and friend Phoebe Campbell. The specific barriers preventing Charlotte from receiving treatment have not been fully detailed.
Medication errors and lack of care have been cited in other deaths. Kiara Ainsworth died after an epileptic seizure in the bath, and her family struggled to obtain her medication, according to inquest evidence. Zoe Tighe and her unborn baby died after the hospital failed to check if she was pregnant during four A&E visits, according to inquest evidence and her mother Johanna. A girl with a congenital heart defect died after her doctor quadrupled her heart medication dose, according to the girl's parents. The exact medication error in that case has not been specified. The outcome of the lawsuit against the NHS trust by Aleisha Rochester's family is also pending.