An inquest has revealed that the medical team at the hospital did not promptly provide antibiotics to the son of one of its senior physicians, who exhibited signs of sepsis.
William Hewes, a 22-year-old student of history and politics, passed away at Homerton University Hospital in east London in January 2023, less than 24 hours after his admission for meningitis caused by a meningococcal infection that progressed to sepsis.
The inquest, held at Bow Coroner’s Court, heard testimonies on Thursday from various hospital staff who were on duty when Mr. Hewes died. His mother, Deborah Burns, is a consultant paediatrician at the same hospital and has served in that role for over two decades.
The family’s legal representatives stated that they believe the hospital did not administer antibiotics to Mr. Hewes within the mandated hour after his arrival, despite Dr. Burns raising urgent concerns that he required the medication.
Evidence presented during the inquest indicated Mr. Hewes arrived at the hospital at 00:06 GMT, was placed in the resuscitation area, and only received antibiotics around 01:25.
Rebecca McMillan, the emergency medicine registrar on shift that night, became emotional while recounting to the coroner her immediate concerns for Mr. Hewes’ health and her thoughts of his possible demise upon first seeing him.
Dr. McMillan expressed significant worry about sepsis when assessing Mr. Hewes. She stated that she communicated the required antibiotic type and dosage to the nursing staff but was unsure if her instructions were clear to the appropriate individuals.
Having left the resuscitation area at 00:42, she anticipated that the antibiotics would be administered within ten minutes of her departure. However, around 01:15, she realized that Mr. Hewes had still not received them.
Dr. McMillan recounted a moment with nurse Marianela Balatico, where she expressed her distress upon realizing that the antibiotics had not been given, leading to a conversation about their confusion over how this oversight occurred.
Neil Sheldon KC, representing Dr. Burns, inquired if it was normal practice to announce to a general area that a patient required antibiotics. Dr. McMillan, struggling for words and gazing upwards, responded assertively, “Absolutely not… I would like to think that, under normal circumstances, my communication would be clearer.”
She recalled one nurse mentioning they would administer antibiotics, although she could not remember who it was.
Coroner Mary Hassell previously summarized Ms. Balatico’s testimony, noting that the nurse had not been given specific instructions regarding which antibiotics to administer, as she focused on managing Mr. Hewes’ symptoms. “The antibiotics slipped my mind,” the nurse admitted.
Luke Brown, the senior charge nurse that night, stated he had “assumed” the team had given Mr. Hewes antibiotics and had not verified whether they had done so.
He acknowledged this was a lapse in his duties, agreeing that antibiotics should be dispensed without delay in suspected sepsis cases, ideally within one hour.
The nurse mentioned that he relied on his team, including Ms. Balatico, to escalate any issues that arose but expressed disappointment they did not communicate with him that night.
When asked if he heard Dr. Burns urgently ask staff about administering her son antibiotics, Mr. Brown replied, “No, I didn’t hear that.”
Reflecting on the incident, he noted, “In hindsight, I would have checked back within 60 minutes to ensure that antibiotics were given and to touch base with the resuscitation team.”
He conceded that he would be more attentive in the future due to this incident while noting that he had 60-80 other patients to manage that night.
The inquest is ongoing.
Jerod Mayo Delivers Powerful Message Following Patriots Victory – Sports Illustrated