‘Beautiful' girl, 3, died hours after mum took her home from ‘third-world country' hospital on doctor's advice
The busy hospital waiting room was full of crying children
MUM'S HEARTACHE 'Beautiful' girl, 3, died hours after mum took her home from 'third-world country' hospital on doctor's advice
A TODDLER died hours after returning home from a busy hospital where doctors said she just had a "typical viral rash".
Three-year-old Penny Stevens and her mother Jemma Graham were told she was probably suffering from a virus, but she actually had Strep A.
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Three-year-old Penny Stevens died hours after returning home
Credit: Solent
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Little Penny is pictured with her brother Charlie
Credit: Solent
Jemma said the hospital was "chaos" and overwhelmingly busy, with a nurse comparing it to a "third world country".
This came after an alert about the bacterial infection, causing floods of concerned parents to come in.
A triage nurse and a doctor told Jemma her daughter likely had a virus, so she took "exhausted" Penny home, Portmouth News reported.
But an inquest heard that Penny didn't get any better, and her worried mother phoned 999 the next morning.
The ambulance took four hours to arrive, and the toddler sadly died when she got to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth.
Grieving mother Jemma told the Winchester inquest she will "die with regret" that she took Penny to the busy St Richard's Hospital.
Penny had suffered with a cough and temperature for three days when her mother took her to hospital on December 3, 2022.
Jemma said: "I have never seen a waiting room so busy and noisy that I was taken aback. The room got busier and busier...louder and louder."
Strep A symptoms
Strep A is a type of bacteria and most infections are mild and easily treated - but some are much more serious.
Common symptoms of strep A include: flu-like symptoms, such as a high temperature, swollen glands or an aching body
sore throat (strep throat or tonsillitis)
a rash that feels rough, like sandpaper (scarlet fever)
scabs and sores (impetigo)
pain and swelling (cellulitis)
severe muscle aches
nausea and vomiting
Strep A infections are more common in children, but adults can also sometimes get them.
Most strep A infections are not serious and can be treated with antibiotics.
But rarely, the infection can cause serious problems. This is called invasive group A strep (iGAS).
She said there was nowhere to sit and children were crying in their parents' arms.
The nurse told her "the rash is just a typical viral rash".
Jemma told the inquest she "can't forgive those that should have helped us".
The nurse who saw Penny told the inquest of the "immense" pressure on staff that day.
She said they were "utterly blindsided" by the sheer amount of patients.
The nurse said this was due to a 'media alert' about Strep A which prompted 'worried' parents to visit.
Dr Maggie Davies, the chief nurse at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We are so sorry for the heartbreak suffered by Penny's family, and the terrible loss they have endured.
"As the inquest has heard, December 2022 was an extraordinary period with unprecedented numbers of poorly children needing care.
"We will give the coroner all the support we can throughout the inquest process, and continue to improve and strengthen patient care whenever we can."
The inquest continues.
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