I watched my healthy son die at the hospital I work at – I wasn’t listened to

A TOP doctor has described how she watched her son die from sepsis at the hospital where she works.

William Hewes died aged 22 at Homerton Hospital in January last year within 24 hours of being admitted after his meningitis, caused by a meningococcal infection, developed into sepsis.

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The sporty 6ft 6in young man, who was studying history and politics at university, was said to have been fit and healthy before the infection.

An inquest into his death was due to get under way at Poplar Coroners Court on Thursday but it was adjourned to February 13.

Deborah Burns, Mr Hewes’ mother, is a consultant paediatrician at the east London hospital where her son died and has been a doctor there for more than 20 years.

In a statement provided by her lawyers, she said: “I was present throughout his admission. I witnessed him receiving inadequate care despite my raising concerns. I was not listened to at the time and I watched him die.

“Since then, I have met with almost two years of resistance and lack of engagement. This has taken a terrible toll on me and my family and added another layer of pain to our grief.

“All I was asking was for an open, honest and thorough investigation to take place so that vital lessons could be learnt from William’s death. I have a personal moral duty and professional obligation to act on what I witnessed.

“The added dimension is that it is my workplace.

“I wanted to help prevent what happened to William happening to other young people, to give them the best chances of survival to be able to continue to live their lives, to contribute to society, to love and be loved, as William very much was.”

She wants the inquest to look into whether there were any delays in her son’s care which affected the outcome in his case.

She also wants to know whether any lessons can be learnt, according to an independent expert witness for the family, Dr Ron Daniels.

Kate Rohde, a lawyer at Fieldfisher representing the family, said: “It is difficult to understand how an organisation to which Deborah dedicated her life as a paediatrician could so profoundly let her and her son down.

“If Deborah, an experienced paediatrician, was not listened to, what hope do other parents have of getting doctors to hear their concerns?

“We cannot keep giving stories to the press about mismanagement of sepsis and see no change in how medical staff react. We now call on the trust to listen, to learn and to improve – otherwise, what else can we do?”

Homerton Hospital said in a statement that the trust has taken “appropriate steps” since Mr Hewes’ death to continue to reinforce awareness of suspected sepsis in patients attending A&E.

“Losing a child is an unimaginable tragedy, and our hearts go out to Dr Burns and her family during this devastating time,” the trust said.

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“We extend our deepest condolences and want to acknowledge the profound impact this loss has had on Dr Burns and her family.

“As a member of our consultant paediatric medical team, Dr Burns has always been a much admired and respected member of our staff at Homerton.

“We have reached out to Dr Burns on a number of occasions over the past 22 months and will continue to do so.”

Meningitis, an infection of the protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord, is extremely serious.

The symptoms of meningitis include a high temperature, being sick, headache, a stiff neck, drowsiness and a dislike of bright lights.

It also causes a rash which does not fade when a glass is rolled over it, but this does not always develop.

If not treated, meningitis can turn into sepsis, which is when the body overreacts to infection.

Sepsis has a mortality rate of around 20 per cent, the Sepsis Trust reports. 

There are around 48,000 deaths from sepsis in the UK every year – more than breast, bowel and prostate cancer combined. 

Each year, almost 80,000 people end up with life-changing after-effects, ranging from lethargy and muscle weakness to PTSD and repeated infections.