Mother calls for improvements after toddler’s death

The mother of a two-year-old boy, who passed away after receiving a diagnosis of constipation, has emphasized that there were “lessons to be learned” in the wake of his death. Hudson Cole Perrins, a resident of Willenhall, passed away four days subsequent to his admission to New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton due to stomach pain. His mother, Kayleigh Taundry, expressed her desire for the hospital’s trust to address and learn from deficiencies identified in his care. A spokesperson for the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust reiterated their condolences and affirmed that the trust is “always mindful of areas for improvement as highlighted in our own investigation”. During an inquest held on Monday, a coroner determined that Hudson’s death resulted from natural causes, specifying the cause as a brain injury stemming from a urinary tract infection that had impacted his kidneys and led to sepsis. Nevertheless, assistant coroner Kelly Dixon stated that a natural causes verdict did not preclude the existence of failings. Ms Taundry, an employee of the trust herself, commented that the inquest’s finding “didn’t come as a surprise,” explaining that urosepsis was cited “on the balance of probability” because “they couldn’t find any other infection.” In an interview with BBC Radio WM, she described Hudson as “cheeky” and “loving,” noting he was born with congenital heart defects that required surgery when he was only seven months old. She further stated, “He was also born with hydronephrosis which is a swelling of his kidney. So given that information, I believe that the hospital should have considered his complex medical history, which I don’t think that they did.” She added, “They treated him as a typical child.” She expressed her belief that trust staff “went with the most obvious cause” and consequently diagnosed constipation. Ms Taundry elaborated, stating, “The fact he had only one working kidney… a differential diagnosis should have been explored, which it wasn’t.” Ms Taundry indicated that had the trust performed a urine sample, a blood test, or an ultrasound scan, it would have revealed his bladder was full of urine, potentially allowing for earlier administration of antibiotics. Following Hudson’s discharge, he was readmitted to the hospital prior to his transfer to the paediatric intensive care unit at Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Ms Taundry further stated, “I just want lessons to be learned.” She concluded, “I acknowledge that there’s been failings and I want them to recognise these and learn from them.”