Peterborough hospital death: Christian Hobbs, 17, needed transplant

Christian started complaining of flu-like symptoms on the evening of Christmas Day

A senior hospital doctor has told a coroner that a cardiologist was not available when an amateur boxer suffered a cardiac arrest, because it was a Bank Holiday.

Christian Hobbs, 17, died suddenly at Peterborough City Hospital on Boxing Day 2017.

An inquest has heard he had an undiagnosed heart disease.

The two-week hearing is examining issues including the cause of death, training protocols and communication.

Dr Katherine Mortimore, who was the critical care consultant for the A&E department that night, gave evidence on Friday.

"It was Boxing Day, so we did not have specific cardio cover," she said.

"As it happened, a locum registrar was on later that night who was trained in cardiology, but that was random, by fluke rather than design."

The inquest is looking at the level of available care and training provided at Peterborough City Hospital

The inquest previously heard Christian experienced flu-like symptoms on the evening of Christmas Day.

His grandfather James Christie, who is a retired consultant surgeon in orthopaedic trauma, said he measured a pulse rate of 240bpm when he observed him the following afternoon.

Christian's parents rushed him by car to hospital and Mr Christie spoke to an A&E receptionist by phone to relay his observation.

'No time'

Ms Mortimore said she was not passed Mr Christie's message, but said she still would not necessarily check the electrocardiogram (ECG) monitor of someone "coming in with a high heart rate".

"We simply don't have time," said Ms Mortimore.

"There is absolutely no way I can get into the minutia of every patient."

The inquest heard Christian Hobbs had an undiagnosed heart disease

The inquest is also examining why Christian was diagnosed with sepsis at hospital.

Ms Mortimore added: "We know now that Christian had cardiomyopathy, and the only treatment available would have been a heart transplant."

Claire Bell, who was the deputy sister at the hospital's A&E, said she was passed Mr Christie's message on a "scrap of paper" but "threw it away".

"I wish now I'd tried to retrieve Mr Christie's phone number, but I didn't. I went through to my triage room to try and secure a bed for Christian," said Ms Bell.

"It's something that's weighed heavily on my shoulders as a nurse and as a mother."

Mr Christie thanked Ms Bell, during the hearing, for everything she did to treat Christian.

He was taken to the A&E resuscitation room and died shortly before midnight.

The inquest at Peterborough Town Hall, in front of senior coroner David Heming, is lasting two weeks

The family's lawyer, Edward Ramsay, has questioned why the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, has not produced data from the ECG monitor, and has queried whether staff using it that night were adequately trained.

Christian, a boarder at Rugby School, trained about twice a week at the Heart of England Community Boxing Club in Hinckley.

The club's head coach, Nicholas Griffin, and Christian's father, Casper Hobbs, both told senior coroner David Heming that he was "very fit".

The inquest, at Peterborough Town Hall, continues.