Evelyn's Death Was Quite Devastating.... End...

 Photo:Evelyn's parents took her to Warwick Hospital



Among those giving evidence at the inquest was Warwick Hospital doctor Emma Sexton, who first examined Evelyn on the day before she died. She said the child did not appear to be displaying signs of respiratory distress and her cough sounded like a viral croup, although she had looked for symptoms of other conditions as well. Dr Sexton added: "Bacterial trachetis is a very rare condition that arises from these symptoms. I had not come across it prior to this case."
Haidee Vedy, head of medical negligence at Alsters Kelley LLP, who represented the family at the inquest said: "Evelyn's death was an absolutely tragedy and should never have happened.

"Her family put their trust in the hands of the hospital and their local GP surgery and it would appear from the evidence presented at the inquest that they were badly let down.
"We will now be investigating further to find out what more could have been done to prevent Evelyn's death."But at the inquest, Helen Lancaster, the director of nursing, who had commissioned an independent report which highlighted missed opportunities, did accept its findings.

Dr John Omany, medical director for NHS England (Arden, Herefordshire and Worcestershire), who oversee GPs' surgeries, accepted "opportunities were missed" to identify the seriousness of Evelyn's condition. Mr Omany added: "We have looked into the circumstances of this tragic case and our priority now is to ensure that GPs across our area are aware of the dangers of croup. "We have also contacted all GP surgeries and all out-of-hours providers to highlight some of the difficulties in identifying seriously ill children, and encourage them to refer children for specialist care as a precaution as soon as they have any concerns.

Evelyn's parents Helen and Trevor are now trying to raise awareness about complications of croup and encouraging parents to trust their instincts. Helen Smith said: "When she first showed signs of being unwell, it was just a mild headache and that's something that all parents encounter.
"But when she burst into our room at 2am saying 'I can't breathe', that was when we knew it was something serious so I took her straight to A&E. "We feel bitterly disappointed in the trust for failing to acknowledge that changes in their practice needed to be made to reduce the risk of deaths in the future. "This has added unnecessary distress to our family. This was compounded by a total absence of any aftercare once we had left the hospital after Evelyn died."