Teen’s inquest hears of opportunities missed at Kettering hospital

An inquest has heard opportunities were missed to “escalate” the treatment given to a 13-year-old girl who died in hospital.

Chloe Longster died a day after arriving at Kettering General Hospital in Northamptonshire on 28 November 2022.

She had been taken to the emergency department after waking up with pain in her ribs and cold-like symptoms.

An inquest into her death has heard some checks that might have alerted doctors to sepsis were not carried out.

Giving evidence on the second day of the inquest in Northampton, Katie Cockram, a nurse on duty on the day Chloe was admitted, was asked about a routine check that was due to be carried out at 22:00 GMT.

It followed evidence from a fellow nurse, Tanya Ball, who told the coroner yesterday that the check was missed.

Ms Cockram was asked whether she should have checked Chloe’s condition or “re-escalated it to the doctors”.

She replied: “If if hadn’t been done, then yes, correct.”

She agreed that this was “another opportunity to re-escalate their concerns about Chloe to the doctors”, but added: “I would have faith in the doctors to do this once they had escalated in the first place.”

Ms Cockram was also asked about observation “scores” she recorded about Chloe’s condition.

She said: “At the time of the evening it was, and I know Chloe was tired, she was alert, she was rousable, she made sense to me.”

When the observation sheet required her to provide “evidence of altered behaviour or mental state”, she told the coroner: “At the time, I don’t believe I had a concern with that.”

The inquest also heard from intensive care unit registrar Suran Kuruppu, who had recorded that Chloe needed “impending intubation and ventilation”.

Her medical notes showed that she had “consistently” needed more oxygen through the night, but she was not intubated until after 04:00 GMT.

The inquest continues.