Nottingham doctors missed opportunity to save baby's life, coroner says

An inquest heard Indie died from a treatable bowel condition on 23 July 2021

Parents of a baby who died after a bowel condition was misdiagnosed have said more could have been done.

Indie Moloney died two days after she was taken to a children's A&E department on 21 July 2021, after falling ill at home in Nottinghamshire.

Recording a narrative conclusion, assistant coroner Gordon Clow told an inquest there had been a "missed opportunity" to save Indie.

He said a GP's decision to send the baby home was "bold and unwise".

Nottingham Coroners' Court previously heard a doctor diagnosed Indie with gastroenteritis and sent her home before she was seen later by an out-of-hours doctor in Nottingham, who agreed with the first diagnosis.

She was again sent home, and died two days later after her condition rapidly worsened.

A post-mortem examination showed Indie had intussusception, a relatively common bowel condition in young children.

Mr Clow said she should have been transferred to hospital when she was presented with more symptoms at the NEMS out-of-hours GP service next to Nottingham train station.

As to whether that would definitely have saved Indie's life, he said he could not be certain but it was "certainly a possibility."

Mother Sally Checkley said Indie was pale for two days

In an interview released after the inquest's conclusion, Indie's father Kyle Moloney, from Eastwood, said the symptoms his daughter was showing were "a red flag" doctors should have picked up on.

"Looking back now, it seems almost obvious that more should have been done," he said.

"We took her [to doctors] twice in one day - she should have been referred to hospital.

"She's not coming back, I get that, but I want someone to say sorry."

In a statement issued before the inquest's end, NEMS said its management was "very sad" about Indie's death, adding it sent "heartfelt condolences" to her family.