Girl, 4, died after mother's concerns dismissed - court

A four-year-old girl died from sepsis after medical staff repeatedly dismissed her mother's concerns that she had meningitis, the High Court heard. Children's Health Ireland (CHI) has issued an apology for failures in the care provided to the child, who died just hours after being taken to Tallaght University Hospital.

The apology was read in court as the girl's parents settled their legal action over her death. Lawyers for the family stated that the mother discovered a rash on her daughter on February 12, 2018, and raised the possibility of meningitis. However, her concerns were dismissed, and the child was diagnosed with a respiratory tract infection.

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Children's Health Ireland would like to sincerely apologise for the failures in the care provided to her and to confirm that it is committed to learning from her death.

The girl's condition deteriorated, leading to her transfer to another hospital for urgent assessment. Despite attempts to treat her for meningitis, the efforts were unsuccessful, and she died in the early hours of February 13 from meningococcal sepsis. The family's case contended that adherence to sepsis and meningitis protocols could have prevented her death.

Expert witnesses for the family identified multiple warning signs indicating the condition. The legal action claimed a failure to recognize the girl's clinical indicators of sepsis or meningococcaemia and a disregard for the mother's concerns. CHI's letter of apology acknowledged "failures in the care provided to her" and committed to learning from the death, extending deepest condolences to the family.

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We acknowledge and are profoundly sorry for 'the ongoing distress that this has caused to you and your family and we extend our deepest condolences'.