Baby boy dies after ‘doctors thought sepsis symptoms were caused by a tight nappy’

A couple claim their one-year-old son died from sepsis caused by chicken pox after doctors told them one of his symptoms – a purple coloured foot – was caused by wearing a tight nappy.

Layton Boys-Hope was just 12 months old when he died at Sunderland Royal Hospital.

His parents Nichol Boys and Dave Hope claim he was refused antibiotics for eight hours despite blood tests revealing an infection was present.

The couple, both 38, from Sunderland, say they were ‘helpless’ as they watched their youngest son’s health deteriorate on February 9, 2015, until his heart eventually stopped.

Three years later, with the help of clinical negligence lawyers Hudgell Solicitors, Layton’s parents have agreed a damages settlement with City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust.

The Trust denies liability for Layton’s death.

Hudgell Solicitors claim the trust did admit earlier treatment with antibiotics could have saved Layton’s life and that it had breached its duty of care by failing to carry out observations for six hours.

The trust said they expressed their ‘deepest condolences’ to Layton’s family and had placed a major focus on increasing sepsis awareness.

Dave, an optical lab technician, said: ‘All of us are total shadows of our former selves after losing Layton and it makes it even harder to accept or understand when you know he was let down.

‘Whatever we do and wherever we go, we’ll always be thinking “what if?”.

‘No parent should have to go through that and deal with that. We thought he was in the best place but, in my eyes, they didn’t do everything they should have done. We can’t ever accept that.’

Layton was rushed to hospital after he became breathless and feverish on February 8, 2015.

His parents claim he had been making a good recovery from a bout of chicken pox when he suddenly became ill at home.

When he was admitted he had a high temperature and his left foot was purple in colour, his parents said.

Mum of six, Nichol, added: ‘Layton was first reviewed by a doctor at 3.45pm, at which time an enlargement of his liver was recorded and the possibility of a bacterial infection noted.

‘However, despite this, no further observations were then made to assess Layton’s condition over the following six hours.

‘The doctors had noted the discolouration in Layton’s foot but were not in agreement over its cause.

‘It was dismissed as having been caused by either his nappy being too tight or having slept on his leg.’

The parents claim Layton was given Calpol to reduce his temperature while investigations were carried out, but blood tests were not assessed until three and a half hours after his admission, when a low white blood cell count was discovered.

Hudgell Solicitors – who led the legal case against the hospital Trust on behalf of Layton’s parents – said these results should have triggered an immediate decision to administer antibiotics to help fight infection.

Layton was only admitted to a ward at 9pm and given antibiotics at 11.25pm – more than eight hours after he was first seen, solicitors claim.

They say that at that point, the baby’s oxygen levels had already dropped too low and his heartbeat had almost stopped.

Layton was transferred to theatre but died after 30 minutes of CPR proved unable to save him.

During the hearing, solicitors alleged that had antibiotics been given at any time before 6.45pm, Layton would have survived.

His cause of death was recorded as overwhelming sepsis [Group A Streptococcus Pyogenes] caused by chicken pox.

Solicitor Tasmin White, of Hudgell Solicitors, said: ‘This is a tragic case, and it is particularly upsetting and distressing as from a parenting point of view, Dave and Nichol did everything they could.

‘They took him to hospital as soon as they felt his condition was worsening and worrying.

‘For the hospital to then approach his care with such a lack of urgency and detail, failing to carry out observations for six hours and not taking more decisive action, was inexcusable.

‘Layton’s very high temperature, rapid breathing and his discoloured leg were all red flag warnings that something adverse was happening and should have led to a decisive conclusion that an infection was present.

‘There were certainly enough symptoms to warrant the early administration of antibiotics – treatment which it has accepted could have saved Layton’s life.’

Ian Martin, Medical Director at City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘On behalf of the Trust, I express our deepest condolences to Layton’s family for the tragic loss of their son and brother in 2015.

‘Over the past three years, the NHS nationally and locally has placed a major focus on increasing awareness of sepsis to support healthcare professionals in recognising and treating symptoms of this “silent killer”.

‘Ensuring timely identification and treatment of sepsis is one of our key quality improvement priorities and we now have a dedicated Sepsis lead working with teams across the Trust to provide regular training and support for staff around spotting the signs and symptoms of potential sepsis cases early and acting quickly to provide prompt treatment.

‘Sepsis is a serious complication of an infection and a leading cause of death across the UK.

‘It is extremely difficult to recognise and diagnose and working together with the UK Sepsis Trust, the NHS is now making great strides to raise awareness amongst all staff groups to help potentially save more lives in future.’

Layton’s father Dave said: ‘We will never forget Layton and when his baby brothers are old enough, we will tell them all about him. We don’t want others to suffer the same as us.’

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