Meningitis: Magor boy's illness not diagnosed before his death

The inquest in Newport heard a registrar thought Logan's problems were "most probably a viral illness"

An eight-year-old boy with complex medical needs died of meningitis days after doctors were unable to diagnose him, an inquest has heard.

Logan Jones, from Magor, Monmouthshire, died in November 2019, several days after first being taken to hospital.

Logan was born with a heart defect and a genetic condition known as Chromosome 14, which causes development delays.

The inquest in Newport heard from two doctors, who said they did not find evidence of meningitis in Logan.

'Happy child'

Logan's mother, Michelle Allen, told the inquest he was a "a very happy child with an infectious chuckle, sunny disposition", who loved practical jokes and Peppa Pig.

She said Logan fell ill with a headache, sickness and lethargy on the night of 15 November 2019.

Logan was taken to A&E after she called the out-of-hours GP, and said Logan asked for the lights to be dimmed while they waited to be seen and she had "never seen him looking so unwell".

Dr Alejandro Levin, the junior registrar who saw Logan at hospital, told the inquest that Logan was not showing any symptoms of meningitis and that "no doctor wants to miss meningitis", but concluded at the time Logan's problems were "most probably a viral illness".

Dr Levin said he did not consult with a more senior colleague before discharging Logan, a position supported by consultant Edward Valentine in his evidence.

Ms Allen was then offered to keep Logan in hospital for further examinations, but she chose to take him home, agreeing to bring him back if his condition deteriorated, the inquest heard.

He initially perked up, but two days later his condition worsened.

Doctor 'didn't find any evidence' of meningitis

Three days after he was initially take to A&E, Ms Allen took Logan to see her GP on 18 November who referred him back to hospital.

Logan's GP Andrew Gray told the inquest he did not find symptoms of neck sensitivity to light or rashes on Logan's skin. He had a normal temperature, oxygen levels, pulse and was moving his limbs normally.

Dr Gray said he "didn't find any evidence of infection but had concerns" so referred Logan to the paediatric unit at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport.

In terms of the NICE guideline on identifying meningitis, Dr Gray said that Logan had a green rating: "I regularly check for meningitis or sepsis, but I didn't find any evidence."

He said he phoned the children's assessment unit at the Royal Gwent Hospital for Logan to be seen that day because he "didn't know what was the matter with him, I couldn't piece it together. I needed a second opinion".

'Chaotic' scenes at A&E

On arrival at A&E, Ms Allen said that the scenes in the children's department at the hospital were "chaotic".

She said she was told the department was busy during triage - and after asking for a bed and trouble getting water for him, she decided to take him home.

That night, she shared a bed with Logan, but said she woke and found him "pale and stiff" at 03:50 BST in the morning. Emergency services were called but he could not be revived.

A post-mortem examination found the cause of death to be pneumococcal meningitis.

The inquest continues.