Decision not to scan Fleetwood girl, 8, with brain condition 'a failure in her care' says Blackpool coroner
Eight-year-old could have survived if scan had been taken and operation followed, says coroner.
The decision by doctors not to carry out a scan on an eight-year-old girl who died after being admitted following a seizures was ‘a failure in her care’, a coroner has said.
Lucy Willacy-Brown died of fluid on the brain after a shunt she had had inserted as an infant at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool became blocked.
A post-mortem showed the primary cause of Lucy’s death was hydrocephalus - fluid on the brain - related to a malfunction of the shunt.
But after being checked at Blackpool Victoria Hospital on several occasions, in consultation with medics at Alder Hey, following bouts of sickness and ‘vacant episodes’, and then admitted, no scan of her brain was taken.
Blackpool and Fylde senior coroner Alan Wilson said it was not clear from evidence heard at the inquest into Lucy’s death why a scan was not done, but if it had been, it would have led to “more informed decisions”.
Enjoy unlimited access to local news, the latest football stories and new puzzles every day
With a digital subscription, you can see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe
He said that, although her presentation at hospital had fluctuated, that decision had been a failure in her care, as with a scan, the shunt malfunction could have been highlighted, an operation at Alder Hey carried out and Lucy could well have survived.
Lucy had been born with spina bifida and the shunt had been fitted at Alder Hey when she was three months old to control the hydrocephalus which was a symptom of her condition.
The inquest heard that as she grew up, Lucy had been able to lead a relatively normal life, attending and enjoying a regular school but some 10 days before her death, she was sent home from school after complaining of headaches and sickness.
Her mum Nikki took her to the walk-in centre at Whitegate Drive, Blackpool, where she was referred to Blackpool Victoria Hospital.
Checks, including blood tests, were carried out and she was discharged home and returned to school but several days later, she was found by her step-father on the floor at their home in Fleetwood suffering what appeared to be a seizure.
Specialist evidence at the inquest had indicated that was a clear sign of inter-cranial pressure later found to have been caused by the shunt problem.
Lucy again she had tests at the Vic, in consultation with the Alder Hey specialists, and was discharged - a decision Mr Wilson said was another failure, as she suffered a ‘vacant episode’ within two hours of arriving home and an ambulance was again called.
All the latest news and top stories from across Blackpool and the Fylde coast directly to your phone.
Never miss a thing. Click here to join
After being admitted, following further checks on arrival, she died at the Vic on the morning of September 23, 2020.
In his conclusion to the inquest held over three days at Blackpool Town Hall, Mr Wilson said he had considered several short form conclusions available to him.
One was gross negligence manslaughter, but criminal proceedings had been ruled out following a lengthy police investigation, with the others natural causes and misadventure, neither of which he also felt were appropriate.
He returned a narrative conclusion outlining the sequence of events which had led to her death and he offered his condolences to her family.
Lucy was a pupil at Larkholme Primary School and so popular there that her unexpected death was “like a light going out” at the school, according to staff.
The school raised £30,000 for a special garden area in her memory.