30-04-2025
Hospital apologises after nine-year-old died after being discharged
Hospital apologises after nine-year-old died after being discharged
A Welsh health board has accepted that a nine-year-old's death was preventable in public apology to parents
Dylan Cope
(Image: Leigh Day )
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board has issued a public apology to the family of Dylan Cope, after an inquest found he died due to a " gross failure of basic care" by staff at the Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran.
Nine-year-old Dylan died after being sent home from hospital with perforated appendix. A coroner found neglect by Cwmbran's Grange University Hospital contributed to the death of much-loved Dylan Cope, who has been described by his family as "loving" and "feisty."
Dylan Cope, was from Newport, and he died on December 14, 2022, eight days after he was taken to A&E by his parents when he was having abdominal pain. He had been referred by a GP, who had written a note saying 'query appendicitis' - a note that was not read by the hospital.
During his inquest in May 2024, Senior coroner Caroline Saunders found "a number of individual errors" resulted in Dylan being wrongly discharged from hospital and that this amounted to "a gross failure of basic care".
In a narrative conclusion, she said Dylan's death would have been avoided if he had remained at the hospital for further assessment, adding: "His death was contributed to by neglect."
Dylan Cope
(Image: Family handout )
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Today, April 30, 2025, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board has issued a public apology to Dylan's family. A spokesperson said: "We want to begin by expressing our deepest condolences and heartfelt apologies to Dylan Cope's family following the findings of the inquest into his tragic death.
"Dylan passed away from sepsis on 14th December 2022 at just nine years old. His death was preventable, and we fully accept the coroner's conclusions and take full responsibility for the failings in his care.
"Losing any patient is devastating, but losing a child is beyond words. We cannot imagine the heartbreak Dylan's family experience.
"We are determined to learn from this tragedy and make the improvements necessary to ensure this does not happen again. Changes have already been made, but we recognise that there is still more work to do.
"As part of our commitment to preventing future tragedies, we are taking immediate and sustained action. We are working closely with the UK Sepsis Trust to launch a campaign to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of sepsis among both our staff and the public.
"Sepsis is a life-threatening medical emergency that sadly claims the lives of five people every hour in the UK. Prompt identification and treatment are crucial to saving lives, and raising awareness is vital.
"We are also working in partnership with Dylan's mother, Corinne Cope, who has been instrumental in helping us shape our sepsis awareness campaign and we are incredibly grateful for her support.
"Ongoing improvement work is being undertaken to address the systemic issues highlighted in the inquest. We have already implemented significant changes within our organisation, but we acknowledge that more is needed.
"We are listening to Dylan's family, the coroner's recommendations, and our staff, and we remain committed to learning from this tragedy.
"Losing Dylan to sepsis was devastating – not only for his family but for everyone involved in his care. We also want to acknowledge all the other families who have lost loved ones to sepsis or are living with its long-term effects."
After the inquest in May 2024, Dylan's parents Corinne and Laurence Cope told WalesOnline that ever since Dylan's death, they have been "living in a nightmare."
Laurence and Corinne Cope, parents of Dylan Cope
(Image: Conor Gogarty )
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In a statement on the behalf of the family, Corinne said change was needed at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, which runs the Grange University Hospital. "We have had to fight for answers that to us were painfully obvious," she said. "The system is broken and urgently needs change."
"Dylan was our youngest son, a little boy with his whole life ahead of him. As a family, we have to adjust to being four instead of five. Our circle is forever broken. This pain will last our entire lives, not just through this hearing.
'Dylan is central to all of this. For our child to suffer and die from an easily treatable condition is unimaginable for most parents. This is now our living nightmare.'
