Wigan hospital apologises for delay in girl's sepsis care

Ella Watts developed respiratory failure and needed breathing support

A hospital trust has apologised after there was a 24-hour delay in treating a teenager for a potentially life-threatening illness.

Ella Watts attended The Royal Albert Edward Infirmary in Wigan with flu-like symptoms, chest pain, vomiting and diarrhoea in December 2018.

She was triaged as a lower priority patient and returned home after being told there was a four-hour wait.

Miss Watts, then 17, was rushed back to hospital with sepsis the next day.

Miss Watts, who is from Skelmersdale, Lancashire, was put on intravenous fluids and diagnosed with acute kidney injury secondary to sepsis - when the body attacks itself in response to an infection.

She was admitted to the high dependency unit and then transferred to intensive care.

She subsequently developed respiratory failure and needed assistance with her breathing.

Miss Watts was discharged home a week later but, now aged 21, she has said she continues to suffer psychologically having developed post-traumatic stress disorder following her time in hospital.

"To this day, I still can't believe how quick it progressed and how close I was to dying", she said.

"It still haunts me every day and I've really struggled to get over the trauma of what I suffered.

"While I'm incredibly grateful to still be here, it could have ended very differently. I hope that something is learned to help stop others from going through a similar ordeal in the future.

"Sepsis can kill quickly, so I hope that by sharing my story I can raise awareness of what it can do and how to catch it in time."

She was in hospital for a week battling the illness

Following her ordeal, Miss Watts instructed medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate her care under the Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust which runs The Royal Albert Edward Infirmary.

The trust has now paid an undisclosed settlement to Ms Watts and apologised for "failings in care" provided to her.

Professor Sanjay Arya, medical director at the Trust, said "lessons have been learned" since the incident and that "a number of changes" have been implemented.

He said the Trust now has a lead nurse specialising in sepsis at the A&E department and that there is an "ongoing sepsis improvement programme."

Miss Watts suffers with PTSD after her experience

He added: "We are very sorry that the standard of care fell below the expected levels that we set, and we once again apologise to Miss Watts for her distressing experience."

"We strive to achieve the highest possible standards of care for all of our patients and we are fully aware that any financial compensation cannot change what has happened."