Northampton hospital 'killed' child, says mother

A woman plans to take legal action against a hospital she says "completely failed and killed" her child, after calling her a "paranoid" mother.

Leanne Harrold's daughter Brooklyn, aged two, died at Northampton General Hospital on 11 May, a day after she had been discharged with a suspected virus.

Miss Harrold said: "I knew she was still ill. The next day she was rushed back, but she died from septicaemia."

The hospital said a full investigation was under way.

Miss Harrold, 20, from King's Heath, said her daughter had the heart condition truncus arteriosus, which means only one artery connects to the heart instead of two.

'Yellow and swollen'

"Staff at Paddington ward at the hospital have always looked after her so when Brooklyn became very ill on the Thursday [9 May], we went straight there by ambulance."

She said the toddler's temperature and heart rate were raised and Brooklyn had been vomiting.

Miss Harrold said she asked staff to take blood tests.

"They said they had done, but the only time I saw anything was when ambulance staff did a pin-prick in her heel."

She said doctors told her Brooklyn "probably had a virus".

Brooklyn Harrold was two-years-old when she died

"I had asked for her heart consultant but they said I was being a paranoid mum," Miss Harrold said.

Her daughter was kept in overnight and discharged the following evening.

The next day Miss Harrold said Brooklyn was "yellow as a banana skin and swollen from head to toe".

She was rushed back to the hospital where doctors tried to prepare her for transfer to Birmingham Children's Hospital.

'Neglected'

"They tried to get a tube for the ventilator into her, but she stopped breathing," Miss Harrold said.

"The second time they tried, she died right there."

Brooklyn's death certificate showed cause of death as septicaemia - blood poisoning - Miss Harrold said.

She now plans to take legal action against the hospital.

"They neglected her," she said.

"They failed Brooklyn completely and they killed her."

A spokesman for Northampton general Hospital said: "We offer our sincere condolences to Brooklyn's family for their tragic loss.

"We are carrying out a full investigation into the circumstances of Brooklyn's death, and we will be discussing the results of that investigation with the family when it is complete.

"It would not be appropriate for us to comment further at this time."