Joshua Abbot-Littler, a 20-year-old student, died on June 26 from sepsis caused by a bacterial infection, according to a coroner. His sepsis was caused by cross-contamination from inadequate hand hygiene on the hospital ward, the coroner said. The strain of bacteria that caused his sepsis was the same as that of another patient on the ward, the coroner added. Joshua had previously beaten Hodgkin lymphoma in May 2024 after chemotherapy and proton beam therapy, multiple reports indicate. He was diagnosed with treatment-induced acute myeloid leukaemia on June 8, a rare cancer triggered by cancer treatments, multiple reports indicate.
Yara, a 20-year-old student, died from septic shock after developing symptoms including vomiting and fever, multiple reports indicate. She lost consciousness and had a seizure during a doctor's appointment after arriving at the emergency room, multiple reports indicate. Yara was moved to the intensive care unit at Mölndal Hospital, where she became swollen, dark blue, and cold, multiple reports indicate.
Aleisha Rochester, 33, died two weeks after undergoing a routine procedure to remove an abscess from her left armpit, the coroner said. Her death was contributed to by neglect because she was given the wrong antibiotics multiple times, the coroner said. Staff at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals did not follow the NHS trust's own guidelines on administering antibiotics for Aleisha Rochester, the coroner added. Aleisha Rochester had hidradenitis suppurativa, a condition that causes abscesses on the skin, according to multiple reports.
Zoe Tighe, 22, died after a hospital failed to check if she was pregnant during four trips to A&E over six weeks, an inquest found. She was diagnosed with sepsis and found to be 14 weeks pregnant, but the baby had already died, multiple reports indicate. Zoe Tighe died after suffering three cardiac arrests following the birth, multiple reports indicate. She had developed bladder fibrosis (ketamine bladder) from ketamine misuse, leading to regular UTIs, multiple reports indicate.
It remains unclear what specific bacteria caused Joshua Abbot-Littler's sepsis and how exactly the cross-contamination occurred. The exact timeline and medical decisions leading to Yara's rapid deterioration from flu-like symptoms to septic shock are also not fully known. Why the surgical team did not consult with the microbiology team before prescribing antibiotics for Aleisha Rochester is another unresolved question.
Whether earlier pregnancy testing for Zoe Tighe would have prevented her sepsis and death is uncertain. What systemic changes or accountability measures are being implemented by the hospitals involved in these cases has not been detailed.