Sheffield parents of baby who died from sepsis want change after wrong diagnosis

• Video report by Emma Wilkinson

The mum of a one-year-old who died from sepsis after doctors dismissed his symptoms as chickenpox says she wants his legacy to save other children.

Helen and Daniel Philliskirk's 16-month-old son James died in May 2022 after making several visits to Sheffield Children's Hospital.

The trust has admitted failings were made and is now working with the family to make changes, including hiring a new specialist nurse.

Mrs Philliskirk said: "The one thing we want is for James to be alive and that cannot happen.

"However, James loved other babies and children and I think it's very fitting that his legacy will hopefully keep other babies and children more safe."

James contracted chickenpox and recovered in April 2022 but a few weeks later he became unwell, developed a rash and started to make a "groaning, unsettled and painful noise."

James was taken to hospital on the advice of his GP but medical professionals there were adamant he had chickenpox, despite having already had the disease in the weeks beforehand.

James was discharged but he continued to deterioriate, so his parents called 111 and were advised to take James back to the hospital.

Mrs Philliskirk said despite repeatedly raising concerns that James might be seriously ill, hospital staff remained convinced that he had chickenpox and a sore throat.

"He didn't move, he was 16 months but he'd regressed to being a newborn baby.

"Everything I said to the doctor was shot down with a reason or an explanation," she added."He'd never needed medical treatment in the past but within six hours we asked for help four times, that is significant. There was no weight given to that.

"We weren't given any any safety netting advice or told of anything we should look out for."

Mrs Philliskirk said they were told to take James home with medication but the next day he was found unresponsive in his cot by his father.

"My husband found him, picked him up and brought him into our room and screamed 'he's gone.

"That's when our living nightmare started."

A postmortem examination later revealed that James had sepsis brought on by a Strep A infection.

An inquest into his death found neglect by the hospital contributed to his death.

James' parents now want to make change, raise awareness of sepsis symptons and encourage other parents to have the confidence to ask for a second medical opinion if they feel their concerns are being dismissed.

They have also been working with the hospital to develop new practices, including the appointment of a new lead sepsis nurse role.

Mrs Philliskirk said: "It's the most unimaginable pain and I'd never want anyone else to go through it. That has to be the driving force for sharing James' story.

She said both her and her husband are "doing everything we can to hold the hospital accountable and drive them to make change."

Ruth Brown, Chief Executive of Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are truly sorry that the care James received fell below the high standards we set ourselves and that James, his family and loved ones should have expected of us.

"Our internal investigation and the inquest showed that there were failings in James’s care."

She added: “Helen and Daniel have been both courageous and generous with their time in helping us consider how we take forward learning.

"One part of our plans to address these failings has been to undertake further work on sepsis, including the appointment to a new Lead Sepsis Nurse role.

"In creating the role, which Helen kindly took part in the interview process for, we looked at how we’ve managed sepsis in patients in the past and how we can continue to improve our practice in the treatment of sepsis at Sheffield Children’s in the future."

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