The mum and dad of a 15-month-old baby faced every parent’s worst nightmare when their son tragically died just 48 hours after being discharged from hospital with a rash.
The parents of little Olly Stopforth first grew concerned in March 2020 when they realised his cold had worsened and he had a high temperature, pin prick rash, laboured breathing and was grunting.
They had given him Calpol, but his condition continued to worsen - with the rash spreading to his face and torso the next day.
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The family had a video call with their GP, who instructed the worried parents to keep giving Olly Calpol and ibuprofen.
However, later that day, he had to be rushed to hospital with a temperature of 40 degrees and a heart rate of 207.
After a six-hour wait in A&E, Olly was finally seen and placed on an adult hospital bed before eventually being given a diagnosis of viral illness.
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He was discharged less than four hours later at 3.30am, with doctors telling his parents to carry on giving him over-the-counter medicine.
Olly was sadly found him dead in his bed less than 48 hours after being discharged.
A three-day inquest into his death heard how the doctors and nurses involved in Olly’s care failed to recognise the severity of his condition, with mum Laura Stopforth, 40, telling Cheshire Coroner’s Court: "Olly was such a lively, energetic, happy boy and a lovely younger brother to our eight year old son Finley who desperately misses him.
"I cannot describe the trauma and disbelief that followed finding our baby boy Olly had passed away in his sleep less than 48 hours after being discharged with what we were led to believe was something relatively minor.
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"Finley does not understand why his little brother is no longer with us. He regularly tells us that he feels lonely and is being provided with counselling support in school.”
Laura, from Frodsham in Cheshire, said: “This should not have happened. The medical staff simply didn’t seem interested in finding out what was really happening to Olly and our little boy has lost his life as a result."
Dad Karl also claimed doctors failed to carry out a ‘hands on’ check on his son, saying: "The doctors were with him for no longer than ten minutes.
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"The doctors did not really talk to me. No-one, doctors or nurses spoke to me about the rash either.
"There was no investigation like blood tests to find the underlying cause of Olly's illness.
"I think they made their minds up it was a viral infection and stuck with that."
The Countess of Chester Hospital has admitted liability, while the consultant who was in charge on the day Olly was admitted is set to have a separate legal representation at the inquest.
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In a statement to Tyla, Nigel Scawn, Medical Director at the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “On behalf of the Trust I would like to extend my sincere condolences to Olly’s family. We appreciate that any inquest is incredibly difficult for the loved ones involved.
“More investigations should have been done while Olly was in our care to fully diagnose and treat the underlying cause of his illness. The Trust has considered this in detail, and lessons have already been learned as a result.
“We have further embedded Local and National Guidelines in our work to help staff better identify and treat sepsis, including how to recognise when to administer antibiotics if sepsis is suspected.”
Featured Image Credit: Family Handout