Inquest date set into toddler death

Archie Squire died at the QEQM Hospital in Margate in November 2023

A date has been set for the inquest into the death of a one year old who died at a Kent hospital.

Archie Squire died from heart failure after repeated visits to the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEQM) Hospital in Margate, a report says.

A serious incident investigations report, conducted by the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust (EKHUFT) and seen by the BBC, found there were "missed opportunities to diagnose him appropriately".

At a pre-inquest review on Thursday at Oakwood House in Maidstone, coroner Sarah Clark set a date for a six day inquest to be held from 19 May 2025.

Archie's parents believe there was a "lack of compassion" from hospital staff after their son died.

In a statement EKHUFT said: "We offer our heartfelt condolences to Archie's family and we will work with the coroner to give the family answers."

Other issues highlighted in the report included:

• A delay in recognising Archie's clinical deterioration in a timely manner.

• A lack of consideration of a wider differential diagnosis other than bronchiolitis.

• Inconsistencies in accurate documentation when prescribing and administering medications.

• Missed opportunities to recognise an abnormal cardiac shadow on a chest X-ray by both paediatric and radiology teams.

• Archie's chest x-rays were not reported fully and not in a timely manner on several occasions.

• There were inconsistencies in the quality of documentation of reviews, investigation findings and response to treatment given.

A third pre inquest review has also been set for the 14 April 2025.