Hospital toddler unlawfully killed

Jake died after suffering total paralysis and heart failure

An inquest jury has returned a verdict of unlawful killing following the death of a toddler who was injected with the wrong drug at a Liverpool hospital.

The majority verdict, on Friday, came in the inquest in to the death of 18-month-old Jake McGeough at Alder Hey Childrens' Hospital in 2001.

Jake, from Blackburn, Lancashire, was injected by a nurse with a powerful muscle relaxant instead of a sedative when he became agitated at the hospital.

At the hearing, the coroner insisted the verdict did not mean that the jury was apportioning criminal or civil responsibility for the baby's death.

The inquest was told Jake had been taken to the hospital in July 2001, suffering from a chest injection.

In light of the verdict, the trust will now be taking further advice and reflecting on the implication of the court's decision Royal Liverpool Children's NHS Trust

He was injected with the drug by Alder Hey nurse Rose Aru, who was not authorised to administer it, the inquest heard.

Ms Aru - who was with another nurse at the time, Lynne Maguire - made the mistake when Jake became agitated during a routine scan of his lungs.

Despite the fact she immediately called the emergency crash team when she realised her mistake, the injection proved fatal and Jake died two days later, after suffering heart failure.

Ms Aru told the hearing at Liverpool Coroners' Court three syringes loaded with different drugs, including the sedative, got mixed up in a bowl, in the scanning room.

She confirmed she was only authorised to give injections after they had been prescribed by a doctor but this was not the case in this instance.

Jake had been taken to the hospital with a chest infection

Liverpool coroner Andre Rebello praised the vocation of nursing but said it carried responsibility.

He said: "The operation, obligation and responsibility of caring for the dignity of life and the health of fellow beings are onerous but no doubt rewarding.

"With responsibility comes duty. The right to administer medication and the standards of administering are regulated by statute and common law.

"Consequences for nurses of failing to abide by these standards will be classified in four areas - trespass on a person, negligence, professional misconduct and breach of employment contract.

"In the most serious cases the nurse may face criminal charges under the Offences Against The Person Act or for gross negligence."

'Deeply shocked'

Merseyside Police said on Friday it will review the evidence in the case in consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service before any decisions is made about possible criminal proceedings.

The Royal Liverpool Children's NHS Trust, which runs Alder Hey, said in a statement: "In light of the verdict, the Trust will now be taking further advice and reflecting on the implication of the court's decision."

The statement offered condolences to Jake's family and said staff were "deeply shocked and upset" by the tragedy.

It added: "The events leading up to and surrounding the incident have been thoroughly investigated by the trust and lessons have been learnt."