Haisleigh Finlay, now 2, was sent home from A&E and told she had a “stomach bug” – when she was actually battling the life-threatening infection – which left her ‘minutes’ from death
A two-year-old girl was just “minutes from death” after a hospital allegedly mistook her meningitis for a stomach bug.
Haisleigh Finlay, now 2, was sent home from A&E and told she had a “stomach bug” – when she was actually battling a life-threatening infection. The tot was found to be suffering from an illness called meningococcal sepsis, caused by the same bacteria as meningitis. Haisleigh had been throwing up, shivering and her feet were cold and mottled.
She was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital by her mum Kayleigh, but initially sent home with what doctors thought was a stomach bug. Haisleigh showed little sign of recovery, and appeared to be getting worse, so Kayleigh called for an ambulance.
Hospital bosses said they couldn’t comment on individual cases, but have apologised for the family’s distress, Chronicle Live reports. An internal investigation into the incident is almost complete, the hospital said.
Kayleigh said she feared that if she had been a first-time mum, she might not have had the confidence to push back against the health professionals who told her it was just a bug. Instead, she trusted her instincts, and when Haisleigh was taken back to hospital, it became clear she was in dire straits.
Kayleigh said: “This took place on June 6 last year. Her first symptoms were spewing up, and she was shivering and had cold motley feet. I also couldn’t get her temperature down, even with meds. I think the hospital staff got her temperature down once and that’s why they said it was just a stomach bug.”
“By the time we got her back to hospital, we were told she had just 40 minutes to live. It was really scary. If I had been a first time mum I worry I might have not taken her back. What we want to do is raise awareness and say hospitals need to listen to parents.”
Kayleigh now wants to encourage other parents to listen their instincts and advocate for their children. She added: “If I had listened to the advice we were given, she wouldn’t be here. It caused her a stroke and brain damage, it could have been avoided if they had just taken my voice on board. We have had a meeting with them, but it’s just excuses.”
The mum said staff were much better with Haisleigh on their return, and she was taken straight to the RVI in Newcastle. She was then taken to the Freeman Hospital and put on an ECMO device – a life support device for those in heart or lung failure. At this stage, Haisleigh also suffered a stroke, and while she has recovered well, her future prognosis is unclear due to the possible impact of the damage she suffered to her brain.
Kayleigh added: “We were in hospital four weeks. It could have been six months, but because she was doing so well I wanted to get her home. They just need to do the tests. I think if we had taken her to the RVI, they would have just done them. What’s the harm? And you can save a baby’s life. There’s such a small window. As I say, she was only about 40 minutes away – and even as it was she only had a 20% chance….”
A spokesperson for Gateshead Health NHS Trust, which operates the QE Hospital, said: “Our thoughts are with Hasleigh and her family as she recovers from a serious illness. We are sorry for the distress they experienced. Whilst we cannot provide further comment, we are in the final stages of an internal investigation.
“We will continue to communicate directly with the family and will share our findings, learning and actions with them. We are committed to the highest standards of patient care and to learning from every case in order to improve the services we provide for our patients and the community.”
