A six-year-old girl died after doctors failed to recognise complications from her sickle cell disease, reassuring her mother she was “absolutely fine”, an inquest heard……CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
Shen’iyah Green, from Enfield, died less than three hours after being sent home from North Middlesex University Hospital A&E with ‘stomach flu’ in 2019.
Her cause of death was given as splenic sequestration—a rare but recognised complication of sickle cell disease — that occurs when a large number of sickled red blood cells get stuck in the spleen.
An inquest held earlier this month found that neglect by North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust had contributed to Shen’iyah’s death.
Her family are now seeking answers about what happened to Shen’iyah in the hope that no one else has to suffer the same fate.
Shen’iyah was rushed to A&E with symptoms including fever, vomiting, shortness of breath, and a pain in her right leg at around 5.25pm on January 11, 2019.
Despite Shen’iyah’s sickle cell condition being clearly documented in her records by her mother, Shanieka, doctors diagnosed her with gastroenteritis and discharged her.
On the car ride home, Shen’iyah fell asleep in her seat and never woke up.
Shanieka desperately tried to give her daughter CPR and paramedics attempted resuscitation for about an hour, but despite their efforts, Shen’iyah was pronounced dead at 8pm.
Mother-of-four Shanieka has described how the family feel “lost” without Shen’iyah, and “struggle to deal with the manner of her death”.
“This was wholly avoidable. She was only six years old and deserved so much better than being sent home to die,” Shanieka said.
Nurse practitioner Shanieka has since been diagnosed with PTSD after the loss of her daughter.
“Shen’iyah had sickle cell disease, which meant she should be treated under specialist sickle cell protocols – but this did not happen, and she has paid the ultimate price,” she added.
“She did not receive the care she needed and deserved.
“I know my daughter better than anyone and I was not listened to. I asked for blood tests to be carried out, I asked for a second opinion, I repeatedly raised my concerns that something was badly wrong, but I was told she was fine to go home.
“She fell asleep on the car journey home and never woke up again.
“When Shen’iyah was rushed back to hospital, the same triage nurse and doctor were there who had seen her earlier that day. This made me very angry – why didn’t they listen to me earlier when I begged them to?”
The coroner heard that the Trust made three critical admissions that contributed to Shen’iyah’s death – the omission to obtain a blood sample; the failure to document the cause of abdominal tenderness; and the failure to admit her to hospital.
The inquest concluded that these failures amounted to neglect.
When Shen’iyah was diagnosed with gastroenteritis and sent home, medics did not consider the complexities of her sickle cell disease, despite this being clear in her records – Shen’iyah also had a ‘pink passport’, which immediately makes her condition obvious, and was highlighted by Shanieka throughout their hospital visit.
A Serious Incident Report by North Middlesex Hospital NHS Trust highlighted that Shen’iyah’s observations “were not completely within normal limits and more information was needed” before discharging her.
Shen’iyah’s cause of death was given as splenic sequestration, which the report acknowledged is a “rare diagnosis for a six-year-old child with sickle cell disease and therefore may not have been considered – but may have been picked up if the child was in hospital”.
Shanieka says she continues to be haunted by the fact she was not listened to by medics, and that her concerns for her daughter were dismissed.
“I do not want another family ever to go through an ordeal like this, to feel such unbearable pain, to be haunted by the memories of having to do CPR on your dying daughter, having been assured only shortly before that she was fine and well enough to go home,” Shanieka said.
“Families need to be listened to and their fears and concerns for their child taken seriously.
“Children must also receive the care that is right for them, particularly in cases where they have specific medical conditions which warrant specialist attention.
“There can be no excuses for Shen’iyah’s death – but we only hope that lessons are learned from it so this can never, ever happen to another child.”
Shanieka and her family are being represented by law firm Slater and Gordon in finding answers around Shen’iyah’s death.
“This is an absolutely horrendous case, where Shanieka’s very real fears for her daughter were dismissed and less than three hours later her daughter was dead.
“There are serious issues for North Middlesex Hospital to consider around the care Shen’iyah received, and why she was not treated under specific sickle cell protocols,” Madeline Seibert, technical director at Slater and Gordon said.
A spokesperson for the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust said: “We would like to extend our deepest condolences to Shen’iyah Green’s family and to express how profoundly sorry we are that she died after being discharged from hospital.
“Following Sheni’yah’s death in 2019, we carried out a full investigation and have since introduced a number of improvements to the care provided to children with sickle cell disease.
“This includes ensuring all patients receive a full blood count test and a complete set of observations before being discharged home.”…..CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
