Hospital blamed over second death

Lauren Simmons had been suffering from headaches for six months

The parents of a second teenager to die from a brain haemorrhage after a Kent hospital said she had a virus have said it has not learnt from mistakes.

Lauren Simmons, 17, was not given blood tests or a CT scan by the Medway Maritime Hospital and died in May 2005.

Her parents contacted the BBC after seeing a report on the case of Jenna Lester who died nine months after Lauren and in similar circumstances.

The hospital said it had implemented changes following the death of Lauren.

In a statement, it said her case was investigated by the Healthcare Commission in 2006, and the Medway NHS Foundation Trust had accepted and implemented the recommendations required in its report.

'Unbearable anger'

Lauren's parents said they had hoped after their daughter's death no other family would experience the same loss they had suffered.

"It's destroyed us as a family," said her mother, Jane Simmons.

"We go on because you have to go on. We have another daughter but our lives are empty and not the same, and they never will be.

"But after hearing that it happened again, in such similar circumstances, and the hospital hasn't learnt their lesson, it's just brought all the anger back, and it's just unbearable," she said.

Lauren first went to the Medway Maritime Hospital after six months of headaches, but was told she had a virus.

The Healthcare Commission said a doctor had "refused to call on a more senior member of staff to confirm his diagnosis".

Jenna Lester was not given a scan when she first went to hospital

Had the hospital realised Lauren had a tumour, it said, "early treatment would have led to a probable good result".

When a brain scan was finally arranged, her case was not made a priority, it added.

Earlier this week, the case of 16-year-old Jenna Lester was reported by the BBC.

She too was diagnosed with an infection by the Medway Maritime Hospital after collapsing at home, but less than a week later she suffered a seizure and a scan revealed a brain clot.

However, the diagnosis came too late and she died in February 2006.

The NHS Litigation Authority said she might still be alive had doctors acted sooner.

It also said lessons had been learnt and steps were in place to ensure the case would not be repeated.