‘Doctors told me Maya was fine – the next day she was dead,’ says distraught mother after NHS trust made ‘series of failures’

A HOSPITAL committed “a series of failings” in its care of a six-year-old girl before she died from sepsis, an inquest heard.

However, there was no evidence to suggest that East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust had directly caused or contributed to the girl’s death.

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Little Maya Siek, described as a “happy child”, tragically died at Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate, Kent, on December 21, 2022.

She had been sent home with antibiotics for suspected tonsillitis two days earlier, despite her mother insisting she was seriously ill.

Her heart stopped beating after she suffered acute myocardial necrosis (death of organ cells), triggered by sepsis.

Concluding an inquest into his death, coroner Catherine Wood identified a number of issues that “could have been resolved differently” by the trust.

This included the failure to keep Maya in hospital on the evening of December 19 and to inform all members of the treatment team of her sepsis diagnosis the following day.

“There were a number of failings at the trust in relation to the management of Maya,” Wood told the inquest at Oakwood House in Maidstone.

“Generally, her condition did not appear to have worsened as it should have.”

Our life was ruined and our family will never be the same without her

Magda Wisniewska,Maya’s mother

The inquest found that Maya was a “well looked after little girl” who had a “lust for life, loved to draw and was a happy child”.

She was taken to the emergency room at Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital by her mother, Magda Wisniewska, on December 19, 2022, after fainting.

Doctors determined she had possible tonsillitis and discharged her home with some antibiotics, but she passed out upon leaving the department.

After further ECG and blood tests were carried out, she was again sent home with advice to return if she worsened, the inquest heard.

Mrs Wood said she considered the decision to discharge Maya that night “inappropriate”.

Maya was brought back the next day after going “down” overnight, at which point she was diagnosed with sepsis, and tests also showed flu.

However, the inquest heard that nurses failed to document any actual admission notes on December 20 about the diagnosis, but Mrs Wood ruled these were “non-causal failures”.

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There was also no discussion of sepsis guidelines with Ms. Wisniewska and Maya’s father, Rajratan Bande.

Maya suffered from a persistently elevated heart rate throughout her time in the hospital.

Evidence also heard earlier at the inquest by Great Ormand Street doctors revealed she also had other “chronic conditions”, namely obesity-related fatty liver problems and a thickened heart wall.

Ms Wood also identified the trust’s failure to adequately monitor Maya’s vital signs during her stay in the hospital’s Rainbow Wing and the failure to contact South Thames Recovery Service for support.

The girl was given a dose of high-concentration sodium chloride at around 2am on December 21, but plans made for blood tests later that morning were not carried out.

Maya went into cardiac arrest later that day and, despite resuscitation efforts, died.

The coroner accepted the cause of death as heart failure (acute myocardial necrosis), along with the presence of Maya’s other chronic illnesses and influenza.

Ms Wood said that “despite the plethora of evidence we have heard, we still do not have the full answers” and was unsure whether any previous treatment by the trust “could or would have made a difference”.

In a statement given after the hearing, Ms Wisniewska said she was “completely disappointed” with the hospital she trusted to care for Maya.

She said: “The trust did not fully realize what was wrong with her and there were errors in the treatment which meant it was incomplete.

“Our lives were ruined and our family will never be the same without her.”

“I don’t want this to happen to other families and I just hope that Maya’s death makes doctors aware of the signs of sepsis that they should be alert to.

“Unfortunately, it is too late for our daughter, but I hope any changes made will help save the lives of other children.”

What is sepsis?

From sweaty hands to rashes and even diarrhea, sepsis can present itself in many different ways.

This is because the condition can affect many different areas of the body, so there are many possible symptoms.

Sepsis is fatal and can be difficult to detect, and is responsible for around 50,000 deaths every year in the UK.

It happens when the body attacks itself in reaction to an infection, such as a urinary tract infection (UTI) or pneumonia.

It can cause tissue damage, organ failure and death.

Globally, one-third of people who develop sepsis die, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

And many of those who survive are left with life-changing effects, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), chronic pain and fatigue, organ dysfunction (organs not working properly), and amputations.

Just like strokes or heart attacks, sepsis is a medical emergency that requires rapid diagnosis and treatment.

Bande told reporters he felt “disappointed” and asked medical professionals to “listen to the parents,” but added that the coroner did “an excellent job.”

Des Holden, medical director at East Kent Hospitals, said the trust fully accepted the findings, adding: “We are truly sorry for the devastating loss of Maya and we apologize unreservedly to Maya’s family for the mistakes we made in her care. .

“We carried out a thorough investigation, facilitated by an experienced independent pediatrician… and as a result, we made changes to our children’s service.”