A coroner has ruled that a young mother died from sepsis after being neglected by NHS staff who prescribed the wrong antibiotics. Aleisha Rochester, 33, a bank cashier from Croydon, died in August 2023, two weeks after a routine procedure to remove an abscess from her left armpit.
St Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals Trust has apologised after Ms Rochester sought help several times for her worsening condition but was given antibiotics that did not treat the bacteria causing her infection. The inquest found that she would likely have survived if she had received the correct medication.
Ms Rochester, described as an “amazing mummy” to her eight-year-old son Xavier, had undergone the procedure at St Thomas’ Hospital on 5 August. She became unwell days later and was prescribed penicillin-based antibiotics at an out-of-hours GP appointment on 13 August. The following day, she attended A&E at St Helier hospital and received intravenous flucloxacillin before being sent home.
On 16 August, she was given another drug in line with hospital guidelines, but her condition deteriorated. She was admitted to intensive care on 17 August in septic shock with multiple organ failure. Despite maximal treatment, she suffered a cardiac arrest and died on 19 August.
Dr Richard Jennings, group chief medical officer, said: “We know we failed Ms Rochester by not giving her the correct antibiotics, with tragic consequences – for this we are extremely sorry.” The trust has since implemented further training on sepsis recognition and antibiotic prescribing.
Madeline Nugent, a medical negligence lawyer representing the family, said the neglect finding indicated a “gross failure to provide basic medical care”. An NHS England spokesperson extended sympathies and noted the rollout of Martha’s Rule and a new national sepsis framework to improve patient safety.
