Melissa Mead, the mother of one-year-old William Mead, has spoken out after an NHS report found that the non-emergency 111 helpline and local GPs missed four opportunities to save her son's life. William died in September 2014 from pneumonia and sepsis, a common but lethal infection.
The report revealed that the 'tickbox' system used by 111 call handlers failed to include 'sepsis red flags', despite sepsis being one of the commonest causes of death among children. Mead said she was reassured by the helpline, which told her William's condition was non-urgent and that she would receive a six-hour callback from an out-of-hours doctor.
By the time the doctor called back, William's fate was sealed. The doctor advised that bed rest was best, but William died within 12 hours of the initial call. The report also found that repeated visits to a local GP surgery in Cornwall failed to diagnose the seriousness of his condition.
Lindsey Scott, director of nursing with NHS England in the south-west, admitted that had different action been taken, William would most likely have survived. She noted that the 111 pathway is not as sensitive to sepsis as it should be, and that GPs were under pressure not to prescribe antibiotics and were reluctant to refer patients to A&E.
Dr Ron Daniels of the UK Sepsis Trust said William's death shows more needs to be done in educating health professionals and the public, and in measuring health systems that respond to multiple calls for help. The report identified 16 mistakes contributing to William's death.
