Hospital failings in child death

Ahil had suffered minor burns from a cup of tea

A coroner has said poor communication between two hospitals may have contributed to the death of a baby boy.

Ahil Islam, one, died at Watford General Hospital in London days after being discharged from Mount Vernon hospital following treatment for burns.

He died without having a blood test that would have showed he was suffering from an infection linked to his burns.

Hertfordshire coroner Edward Thomas delivered a narrative verdict at the end of the two-day inquest in Hatfield.

Ahil's parents, Zia and Nazmin Islam, expected him to be rushed to a ward at Watford General Hospital, but instead he was kept waiting in A&E for four hours before he died.

Mr Thomas said: "Ahil sustained a minor burn and died of staphylococcus aurea septicaemia infection which was not diagnosed until shortly before his death."

We just want someone to say we have made a mistake and we are sorry Zia Islam

He said part of the problem was the "inadequate transfer of information" between the two hospitals, although he added: "Whether that would have made any difference I cannot say."

Ahil's parents are now considering suing the two trusts involved.

West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust and the Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Trust admitted liability in a letter last week, according to Mr Islam.

The trusts said in a letter to Mr Islam's solicitors they would agree to pay damages for the family's loss, he said.

Mr Islam had said the maximum compensation was £10,000 and that he had already spent that much on legal costs.

He said: "None of this is about money. We just want someone to say we have made a mistake and we are sorry."

Ahil's parents said they were not made a priority

The coroner had heard doctors thought they were dealing with a chest infection.

They said they had no reason to doubt the boy was suffering from a chest infection, but had asked for a blood test.

The test results could have been returned within an hour.

Ahil was first taken to Watford General's A&E unit after the accident with a cup of tea at home on September 30 2005.

He was then transferred to the burns unit at Mount Vernon Hospital in Middlesex and discharged after treatment.

However, over the next two days he developed a fever, vomiting and then severe diarrhoea.

His condition worsened and Mr Islam and his wife went back to Mount Vernon where Ahil was kept in overnight.

When his condition worsened he was transferred to Watford General the next morning, where he died.

Dr Ingram from Watford General told the hearing she had discussed Ahil's condition with Mount Vernon hospital the night before his death.

She said: "I told them if the level of concern remained the same I would have expected them to take some blood tests.

Until the point where Ahil rapidly deteriorated it would have been very unusual for either of us to have contacted a consultant Dr Ingram

"The blood test would give you an indication if there was any infection."

Doctors only suspected Ahil was suffering from blood poisoning when he collapsed in an emergency ward at Watford General.

Dr Ingram said: "A treatment plan had been put in place, I had no reason to question that and it seemed appropriate.

"Until the point where Ahil rapidly deteriorated it would have been very unusual for either of us to have contacted a consultant."

She denied claims time had been wasted.

"It wasn't that we waited for him to collapse before we gave him antibiotics, he was going to be given antibiotics but he collapsed before."

Professor Graham Ramsay, the medical director of the Hertfordshire Hospitals Trust said the Trust admitted liability for Ahil's death and said they would be in communication with the family on compensation.

However, he added: "But money cannot bring this family back."