Elizabeth Dixon: Lessons not learned after baby death cover-up, says family

Elizabeth's parents say they fear if a similar incident happened today, it too would be covered up

The family of a baby who died after errors in her care have criticised the failure of the NHS to learn lessons.

Elizabeth Dixon died due to a blocked breathing tube shortly before her first birthday and a subsequent independent investigation found a 20-year cover-up.

A year on, Elizabeth's mother Anne told the BBC: "My daughter has not been a catalyst for change."

The Department of Health said it was working on the report's recommendations and will publish "a full response".

Elizabeth Dixon, known as Lizzie, was born prematurely at Frimley Park Hospital, in Surrey, in December 2000.

But a series of errors by the hospital and by Great Ormond Street Hospital, which took over her care shortly after birth, left Elizabeth with brain damage and needing to breathe through a tracheostomy.

She was further let down by Nestor Primecare, a private nursing agency, which was hired to support her parents when Elizabeth returned home. She died 10 days before her first birthday.

An official investigation, published last year, found a "20 year cover-up" by health workers, with some of those involved described as "persistently dishonest".

Elizabeth was left severely brain damaged and needing a tracheostomy tube

"I would have expected them to take it seriously," Mrs Dixon said in response to the lack of action.

She believes that if a similar incident happened today, there would be a danger it would also be covered up.

"That's the default option - if its bad enough, they'll cover up," she said.

Commenting on the publication of the report last November, the health minister at the time, Nadine Dorries, described the response to Elizabeth's death as "completely inadequate and at times inhumane".

She promised the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) would report back to the House of Commons on the progress made, adding "there is no room for complacency".

But asked to provide evidence of what had changed in the year since the report was published, the DHSC couldn't provide any.

In a statement, it simply said: "We have been working closely with the sector on the independent investigation's recommendations, and will publish a full response at the earliest opportunity."

Police investigation

Elizabeth's death was investigated by police in Hampshire in 2005, but its efforts were described in the report as "seriously flawed". The force was ordered to refer itself to the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

However, Hampshire Constabulary strongly rejected the recommendation. It said its investigation was examined by the IOPC's predecessor in 2010 and found to be "of a high standard".

In a statement, it said: "As no allegation of police misconduct has been made, Hampshire Constabulary has no legal basis upon which to make a referral to the IOPC."

Anne Dixon said her "health has been destroyed" and the ordeal has made her lose "trust and faith in people"

Mrs Dixon, 58 and her husband, Graeme 63, fought for nearly two decades to reveal the errors in Elizabeth's care and the failure of several organisations to be honest with them.

After years of being ignored, the couple, from Church Crookham, in Hampshire, were initially supportive of the official investigation.

It was launched in 2017, and chaired by Dr Bill Kirkup, who has investigated a number of NHS failures, including the maternity scandal at Morecambe Bay.

Their exhaustive knowledge of their daughter's case, however, means they now have criticisms of the official report.

They believe the inquiry failed to consider all the relevant facts in Elizabeth's care and didn't reveal the full extent of the cover-up.

"They omitted key facts, on the number of scans we had on the day of Elizabeth's birth, on the problems with her tracheostomy, on the drugs she was prescribed. Its made everything worse," Mrs Dixon said.

In a statement, Dr Kirkup said he was "very sorry that Mr and Mrs Dixon are unhappy with the report".

"In the nature of an independent investigation, there will always be some things on which expert opinion differs, but the great majority of the complaints made by the family were borne out by the findings," he said.

"The investigation identified serious failings, and it is important that the recommendations are acted on for the benefit of future patients and services.

"I remain in discussion with Hampshire Police and the Independent Office for Police Conduct."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "On behalf of government and the healthcare system, we have apologised to Elizabeth's family for their loss.

"It is unacceptable for patients to be exposed to unsafe or poor care and we will do everything in our power to ensure such events cannot happen again."