Inquest into toddler death to hear from medics

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

An inquest into the death of a one-year-old who died at a Kent hospital is to hear evidence from medics who cared for him.

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".

The trust says it will do "all we can" to support Archie's family and the coroner's investigation.

At a pre-inquest review on Thursday at Oakwood House in Maidstone, coroner Sarah Clark asked for additional witnesses from the NHS trust to be called to give evidence.

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

Archie Squire died from heart failure after repeated visits to hospital

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

Speaking after Thursday's hearing, Archie’s parents Lauren Parrish and Jake Squire said: "We are relieved that the inquest process into Archie’s death is now under way.

"As a family, we have a number of questions about the care and treatment Archie received in his all too short life and we trust the coroner to carry out a full and detailed investigation."

Sarah Hayes, chief nurse and midwifery officer at EKHUFT said: “Our hearts go out to Archie’s family and we are so sorry for their devastating loss."

A second pre-inquest review has been scheduled for 24 October.

A full inquest is expected to take place before the end of the year.