Teen who died at hospital 'deserved so much more'
· BBCNikki Fox
BBC health correspondent, East of England
A teenager who died after neglect and a series of failures on a children's ward "deserved so much more", her mother said.
Chloe Longster, 13, died after she was admitted to Skylark ward at Kettering General Hospital (KGH), Northamptonshire, in November 2022.
Louise Longster said she felt she had to "convince" staff her daughter was seriously ill.
At an inquest into Chloe's death, the hospital apologised for its failings and said it had since improved sepsis screening.
Chloe died on 29 November 2022 after a pneumonia infection led to sepsis, external.
Assistant coroner Sophie Lomas said she might have survived had she received appropriate treatment earlier.
Mrs Longster and Chloe's father Dave Longster, from Market Harborough, Leicestershire, said their daughter had very mild asthma but had never needed serious medical attention before.
Mrs Longster, 40, said Chloe had a cold and woke up at home with severe chest pain the day before she died.
She took her to KGH, a short drive away, despite concern at its poor reputation and Care Quality Commission, external rating.
A BBC investigation last year heard from more than 50 parents with serious concerns about the treatment of their children, many of whom died or were injured, at KGH over 20 years.
"I remember, as I was driving towards Kettering, thinking 'Am I going to the right place?' but Chloe was in absolute agony," said Mrs Longster.
"She was holding my hand... and squeezing it because of the pain. But I didn't, in my wildest dreams, think my daughter would die."
Mrs Longster said she repeatedly raised concerns with staff about Chloe's worsening condition and the lack of clear communication, but her pleas were dismissed.
"It felt like I was having to convince them of how poorly Chloe was, trying to get them to understand," she said.
While they waited for an X-ray, another patient aged about 16 with a bandaged foot offered to let Chloe go in front of her.
"At the time I just remember thinking how sweet that was, but on reflection, that's really quite haunting that a 16-year-old could see how poorly Chloe was, and others [hospital staff] couldn't," she said.
Mrs Longster said staff almost showed an "immunity to the sound of Chloe being in pain".
Mrs Longster said Chloe was later shouted at by a nurse for panting, rather than breathing deeply.
"In what situation does shouting at anybody or being that dismissive help the situation?" she said.
"It was Chloe's first experience of needing medical care and it was horrifying."
Mrs Longster said she was not informed of Chloe's sepsis screening, or that she had not been given antibiotics.
She said Chloe asked her if she was going to die, and described hearing her chest "crackle" as she lay next to her.
Mrs Longster said after she called staff, they took Chloe's oxygen levels.
Finding they had dropped, they moved her to a side room. Six hours later, she was intubated.
"Nobody was explaining what was going on; what their worries were," said Mrs Longster.
"If you'd have asked me on the Sunday if Chloe would be dead by 07:20 on the Tuesday, I would think it was just so unbelievable.
"It really feels like there is a pervasive belief that patients aren't really ill and parents are a nuisance.
"It felt like I had to get them [staff] really onside to get her treatment, and that's just wrong."
In November 2022, only one parent was allowed on the ward at a time. But shortly before Chloe died, her father and brother Tom, now 19, received permission to see her.
"Every single one of us walked out, and we knew Chloe shouldn't have died," said Mrs Longster.
"It was devastating and harrowing to see how she was failed. That's an understatement, but it wasn't a shock, it wasn't a surprise."
Chloe's family said she had been conceived by in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and that they "cherished every moment with her".
They described her as the "greatest of joys" and someone who adored animals, friends and family, as well as dancing, gymnastics and art.
"She was the best of us, and deserved so much more," said Mrs Longster.
"She was a peacekeeper, and even though she was in such tremendous pain, she was never rude to them [hospital staff]. She was always nice, polite, but desperate.
"If you cannot drum up enough empathy for a child as easy as Chloe - and she was - then I really worry about babies, people who are non-verbal or children with challenging behaviour."
Chloe's parents said they wanted to see tangible change following her death.
"Action is what matters and taking responsibility, that's what we need to see, because words don't mean anything," said Mrs Longster.
Since the inquest, other families have said they are devastated to hear about the death of another child at KGH.
Vulnerable toddler Jorgie Stanton-Watts was admitted to KGH on 29 September 2016 with a cold.
Soon afterwards, she developed an infection and was moved to Skylark ward, but died from multi-organ failure.
A coroner found five serious failures contributed to Jorgie's death, but a police investigation into manslaughter by gross negligence was dropped.
Jorgie's family worked with the hospital to create a parent journal to be used on Skylark ward.
But Jorgie's mother, Nicola Stanton, said she did not believe it was being used and called it "lip service".
"How many more children have to die or are impacted, before somebody actually does something and tries to stop this, before there's change on that ward?" she said.
"Parents are shouting and screaming that their child needs help and they're just being ignored."
In May 2024, the CQC upgraded its rating of children’s and young people’s services, at KGH from inadequate to requires improvement.
Julie Hogg, group chief nurse for University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group, said: "We would like to offer our deepest condolences to Chloe’s parents, her family and her friends.
"When Chloe was at her most vulnerable she did not get the care that she should have, and when Chloe had passed away her family were not treated with the compassion and empathy they deserved, and for that I’m truly sorry."
She said the hospital had "rolled out a robust training programme and an audit programme" for the screening and treatment of sepsis.
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