Toddler’s Death Follows 24 Hospital Care Failures

A healthcare facility has issued an apology concerning 24 deficiencies in patient care that resulted in a young child’s death. Eleanor Hazel Aldred-Owen, aged 21 months, passed away at Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool on October 2, 2023. During an inquest conclusion on Wednesday, a coroner determined that Eleanor, who resided in Mold, Flintshire, died due to misadventure, with neglect being a contributing factor. The health authority offered an apology for “the errors that were made in her care.” Rachel and Chaz, Eleanor’s parents, expressed that their lives felt “empty and quiet without her.” On September 29 of that year, Eleanor had undergone a standard surgical procedure to address craniosynostosis, a congenital condition impacting the skull. The surgical operation proceeded without incident, except for the unintentional dislodgement of the breathing tube utilized during anesthesia, which was subsequently reinserted by the anaesthetist, allowing the procedure to resume. In the recovery phase, she exhibited an elevated heart rate and required oxygen. A choice was made to initiate AIRVO, a form of high-flow humidified oxygen, a decision that was neither documented nor prescribed in adherence to the trust’s established guidelines. Subsequently, a radiographer neglected to alert any ward staff about an abnormal chest X-ray, and the physician did not promptly examine it because she was occupied in A&E attending to another patient. Eleanor experienced a cardiac arrest, resulting in an irreversible brain injury, and she passed away while in her parents’ arms. An inquiry determined that 24 care failures contributed to Eleanor’s death, among them the repeated failure to accurately compute her Paediatric Early Warning Scoring Tool (PEWS) score, which would have prompted a significantly earlier medical assessment and chest X-ray. In a released statement, her parents conveyed their “devastated” state, further stating: “We have found the failings in care identified by the hospital and recognised by the coroner as unbelievable.” “The process of the trust investigation was not an experience we found helpful and in particular we found the stance taken in preparation for the inquest and in the trusts submissions to the coroner only made this worse.” They expressed gratitude for the coroner’s finding that Eleanor’s death occurred “as a result of numerous gross failures to provide her basic medical care,” but emphasized that “none of this changes the fact we have to continue our lives without Eleanor.” Lynda Reynolds, the family’s solicitor and a partner at Hugh James, commented that “minutes that would have made the difference.” “I have the utmost understanding as to why her family are so angry at the sheer number of basic errors that led to Eleanor’s death ,” she said. “They were at her bedside begging for her to be seen because they were so concerned about her breathing and heart rate. They then witnessed the unimaginable trauma of her being resuscitated.” Subsequent to the inquest’s findings, Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust declared it “accepted full responsibility” for its mistakes. “We know that no words from us will ease the pain being felt by Eleanor’s parents and family. We are heartbroken that we failed them – and failed Eleanor. For that we will be eternally sorry.” The trust further stated its “committed to ensuring that nothing like this happens again” and that “remedial actions” had been put in place, encompassing a review of workflow processes and supplementary staff education.