Doctors sent dad-of-two Reece Darcheville home - he died days later

Mrs Darcheville says she feels 'let down' by doctors, who missed chances to potentially save her husband's life

A heartbroken widow has issued a warning after her young Premier League scout husband died of meningitis after doctors dismissed his symptoms. Dad-of-two Reece Darcheville died in 2017 after medics failed to recognise the seriousness of his condition and sent him home without a brain scan.

The 31-year-old from Hackney, East London, was re-admitted to hospital just four days later and underwent emergency surgery, but suffered severe brain damage and died nine days later. Dissatisfied with his care, Mr Darcheville's widow and childhood sweetheart, Shenna, instructed lawyers to investigate her husband's care.

The family have now been awarded an undisclosed settlement by Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, who admitted liability and giving 'suboptimal' care to Mr Darcheville. Mrs Darcheville says she feels 'let down' by doctors, who missed chances to potentially save her husband's life.

She now hopes to raise awareness of the early signs of meningitis - a rare but 'well-known' complication of untreated sinusitis - and fight for improvements in care in the hope similar tragic deaths can be avoided in the future.

“Even after all these years, it’s almost impossible to try and begin to describe the profound effect that losing Reece has had on our lives," mother-of-two Mrs Darcheville said. "In all the time I knew Reece I had never seen him sick, so when he started with his symptoms I knew it was totally out of character.

"He tried to carry on and go to work but he was too poorly. He even had to miss football training, which he never did. It’s difficult not to think that when he needed help the most he was let down."

In mid-September 2017 Mr Darcheville began vomiting and complaining of a headache. After developing pain and pressure around his eyes and struggling to sleep, a GP prescribed antibiotics on September 21, believing him to be suffering from sinus infection sinusitis.

Four days later he attended Homerton Hospital in Hackney, where he was examined. But the youth football coach and PE Teacher, who scouted for Premier League clubs including Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur, was sent home to finish his course of antibiotics without having a brain scan.

Mr Darcheville's symptoms continued to persist, and on September 28 he and his wife - seriously worried about his symptoms - attended a further GP appointment. The GP told them he was concerned that the severity of his symptoms was unusual for sinusitis.

But Mr Darcheville, who co-founded Islington’s AC United youth football team, was prescribed different antibiotics and anti-sickness tablets and sent home again, after being told he'd need a brain scan if his condition didn't improve. His wife called an ambulance the following morning after he became incoherent and confused and he was rushed to Homerton Hospital before being transferred to intensive care at another hospital.

Mr Darcheville was then placed on a ventilator and transferred for surgery later that day. Following surgery, a CT scan showed significant swelling and an MRI on October 2 showed brain damage he was very unlikely to recover from. Mr Darcheville, who is survived by sons Shay, 16, and Rayne, 13, died six days later, on October 8.

A serious incident investigation report by Homerton Hospital Trust later judged there was a possible 'missed opportunity' to appreciate the severity of his symptoms and consider further investigation when he first attended hospital on September 25. It admitted that Mr Darcheville's meningitis and pus on the brain weren’t recognised until 'late in the course of the illness'.

The report concluded that he'd received 'suboptimal care' and that different management of his condition could have saved his life. Emma-Jayne Rudland, a specialist medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Mr Darcheville's family, echoed their plea for lessons to be learned from the tragic and avoidable death.

“Reece’s family remain devastated by his death and the circumstances surrounding it," she said. “We believe the hospital trust failed to recognise the significance of Reece’s symptoms during his first visit.

"If it had, then Reece would have been referred for a brain scan which would have shown a build-up of pus and he would have received the treatment he required to make a full recovery. Instead, the care failings that Reece experienced ended in the most devastating way and will continue to affect his family for the rest of their lives.

“While meningitis is a rare complication of sinusitis, it’s a well-known complication. Therefore, it’s vital that lessons are learned from this case to improve patient safety. Early detection and treatment is key to beating meningitis.”

Mrs Darcheville described her late husband as an 'amazing dad' and a 'mentor for many'. "I met Reece on my 16th birthday and we hit it off straight away," she said.

"I knew as soon as I met him that he was a kind, loving and generous person. To see him suffer in those final weeks was awful.

"During the time that Reece was in the hospital the word 'meningitis' was never mentioned, I was told that the sinus infection had spread to his brain and due to the swelling he was in critical condition and may not wake up from the coma. The first time I heard anything about meningitis was when I saw it as the cause of death on his death certificate.

“Reece was an amazing dad and mentor for many and nothing was ever too much trouble for him. He went out of his way to try and help others and provide them with the best chance in life.

"Following Reece’s death we donated his organs so he could continue to provide opportunities for others in life. He was one of the world’s good guys and didn’t deserve what happened to him. All I can hope for now is that I can help raise awareness of the signs of meningitis and that improvements in care are made to help others."