A four-year-old girl has tragically died from sepsis following "missed opportunities" at hospital.
Eva Hayden was rushed to Alder Hey's emergency department after she collapsed only weeks after Christmas in January 2020. She tragically died shortly after despite the best attempts by both Eva's father and paramedics to resuscitate her.
Hospitals have since apologised to Eva's parents for 'poor communication' after a coroner called for changes to help prevent similar future fatalities. Young Eva developed sepsis after her family were not informed of the risks of a condition being investigated and the susceptibility to infection, the Liverpool Echo reports.
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Paying tribute to her daughter, Michelle, 50, said: "We remember Eva as such a caring little girl and in her short life she just loved to help people. Even at nursery, when there was a little girl struggling to settle, Eva took her under her wing to the point that the little girl would only come into nursery when Eva was there.
"I know Eva wouldn't want this to happen to another child or family. She was special and that's the way we remember her, as a special gift to the world for a short time."
Eva, from Kirky, initially developed an infection in October 2019 in her left foot. She was initially taken to Ormskirk District General Hospital, and was then transferred to Alder Hey Children's Hospital - she was discharged with oral antibiotics on October 23.
Blood tests revealed she had neutropenia which led to three more separate blood tests in November at Ormskirk hospital. Despite tests remaining low, no action was taken and Eva was not arranged to undergo any more tests, according to her family.
By January 2020, Eva fell ill with a fever and was experiencing rash over her limbs and chest while feeling pain in her feet whenever she walked. Eva attended a walk-in centre in Kirkby where the family was advised to go straight to A&E at Alder Hey Children's Hospital, however, she was soon discharged.
On January 10, while Michelle worked her night shift as a support worker, Eva's condition worsened. On the following morning, dad Ged attempted to resuscitate her, but was unable.
The young girl's death was confirmed at around 7am on January 11 in the emergency department. Her cause of death was recorded as sepsis and bone marrow hypoplasia.
Coroner Andre Rebello said there had been "missed opportunities" by doctors. Since Eva's tragic death, both Ormskirk General Hospital and Alder Hey Children's Hospital have apologised to her family.
Mum Michelle added: "We feel so let down that Eva was lost in a system of two hospitals caring for her. We only found out about Eva’s neutropenia and how serious it is at the inquest nearly two years after her death, which hit us so hard. If we had known, we would have done everything possible to ensure our little girl received the right treatment.
"It’s really hard to believe a doctor did not sit us down to discuss this with us and how things could have been so different. We cannot believe how poor the hospitals’ attitude was with such a serious condition. They were so blasé and at no point did we feel Eva’s health was in danger from this condition. We just want lessons to be learned and for no other families to suffer as we have."
Rachael Heyes, a specialist medical solicitor at law firm JMW who is handling the family’s legal case, said: "It is absolutely staggering that a young child with such a serious condition could receive such poor management and care.
"Eva was a bubbly little girl who loved life and she relied on the hospital staff to keep her safe and ensure that she received all the follow up she needed. She simply fell through the cracks but it’s completely unacceptable for that to have happened in a modern day health system that has guidelines and protocols in place to stop that from happening."
A spokesperson for Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust said: "Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation is extremely sorry for the communication failures which led to Eva’s death. Both hospital trusts made early admissions of liability in this tragic case, and we would like to express our deepest sympathy to Eva’s family. Investigations identified a number of failings and both trusts have learnt from this devastating case to avoid similar mistakes being made in the future.
A spokesperson for Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust added: "The Trust offers its sincere condolences to Eva’s family for their devastating loss. Following Eva’s death, an immediate and thorough investigation was carried out and action plans have been implemented to ensure lessons have been learned."
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