Geelong family calls for inquest into father's sepsis death after hospital discharge

Australia Broadcast Center

4 days ago

Reminders of Brian Dean are scattered across his family's Geelong home.
There is a photograph in a frame inscribed with "Dad the Hero", a coffee mug from his former employer, a hand-drawn picture of the 44-year-old and a floor-to-ceiling wall of photographs of him with his beloved wife Sandra and children Alfie, now 11, and Ari, 9.
It is a house full of memorials to a man who went to hospital in 2023 and died a day later from sepsis.
"He was cheeky, fun, loyal, sturdy, trustworthy," Sandra recalls, sitting in the family kitchen.
"He was everything.
"He was so involved. The minute he walked in the door he was bathing, cooking dinner if he needed to. He would step into every moment that he could.
"When Ari moved into his first bedroom in his big boy bed he was nervous, so dad pulled the cushions off the couch and slept beside him — just gave him a sturdy hand and they had a sleepover."
Brian's family is now calling for a coronial inquest into his death to determine whether earlier treatment could have saved his life.
On July 1, 2023, Brian was taken to Geelong Hospital by ambulance after becoming increasingly sick with influenza symptoms.
The 44-year-old spent the evening in the short stay unit, but was discharged at about 10.30am the following day, as he was deemed to be clinically well.
By about 12 hours later he had returned to hospital, where he was soon diagnosed with severe sepsis, or septic shock.
At 11.37am on July 3, he died.
"I then had to sign to cease life support and come home and tell my children their dad had died," Sandra said.
"It was awful.
For the close-knit family, their friends and extended family, Brian's death has hit hard.
"Our world has been obliterated in every way," Sandra said.
"It's been the most horrific thing that we've ever been through, and we're continuing to go through it, as we speak."
"It doesn't stop, unfortunately. It just doesn't. It's every minute of every day, because he's not here.
Sandra said she had been diagnosed with a traumatic stress disorder, while her sons had experienced trauma of their own.
"They experienced things that night with their dad and they remember things that have been extraordinarily hard for them to process," she said
"They're still processing it. They miss their Dad horribly."
One of the most difficult aspects of dealing with her husband's death has been Sandra's concern that, had Brian received antibiotics during his first hospital stay, he might still be alive today.
Sandra is preparing to launch legal action against Barwon Health, which operates Geelong Hospital.
She is also calling for a coronial inquest to determine whether the death was preventable and if healthcare recommendations can be made.
"I think Brian deserves it. I think Brian's children deserve the answers that it might bring," she said.
"Brian, if anything, was extremely helpful, and it's true to him that something should come out of this.
"If his death can help other families or other people advocate for themselves in hospital, so this doesn't happen to anyone else — or it might stall it happening for someone else — then we all deserve that."
Rachel Seager, an associate with Shine Lawyers's medical negligence team, said Brian's family wanted accountability and answers.
She said an inquest could provide recommendations to hospitals across the state about protocols for identifying and treating patients suffering from sepsis.
"We've asked the coroner to hold an inquest; we've made submissions to the coroner in support of an inquest," she said.
"We've obtained strong expert evidence that says Brian should have received antibiotics when he went to Geelong hospital, and that if he'd received antibiotics, he would have survived."
Barwon Health's Chief Medical Officer, Ajai Verma, said the health service would "like to express our condolences to the Dean family for their loss".
"We are committed to providing the highest quality care to our community," he said.
"As this case is before the courts, we are unable to comment further."