Latest news with #HelenBlythe
BBC News
10-08-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Girl, 6, delivers petition after Benedict Blythe allergy death
The sister of a five-year-old boy who died after an allergic reaction at school was among a group of children who delivered a petition to Downing Street calling for new laws for petition was handed in by six-year-old Etta, after an inquest found a school did not follow all the measures in place to prevent her five-year-old brother Benedict Blythe's death following an anaphylactic reaction to cow's mother, Helen Blythe, is calling for a Benedict's Law to ensure schools have allergy policies, hold spare adrenaline pens and provide staff Department for Education said it planned to bring forward proposals to support children with allergies in the autumn. Benedict Blythe, from Stamford, Lincolnshire, had asthma and a number of allergies including eggs, nuts, kiwi fruit and milk. He collapsed at Barnack Primary School in December 2021 and was pronounced dead at Peterborough City Hospital a short time at the inquest into his death at Peterborough Town Hall concluded he had died after an accidental exposure to an allergen - cow's milk jury found there were delays in administering an adrenalin pen by staff and opportunities to review "lessons learned" from a previous incident had been inquest, at Peterborough Town Hall, also heard Benedict's allergy plan had not been shared and distributed to school staff, and they were late in identifying his symptoms and treatment. Helen Blythe set up the Benedict Blythe Foundation in his name and commissioned research into the school policy and guidance on a report, the foundation said a third of schools do not have an allergy policy and admit to not keeping track of "near misses", where a child has contact with an report, based on analysis of a 10% sample of English schools, said more than half provided no training in managing allergies in well as the petition with more than 13,500 signatures, Etta delivered a letter to the prime minister from children across the UK who have Blythe said: "Etta and her friends have shown the courage and clarity that adults in power often lack. Their message is simple: no more preventable deaths. We need proper legislation that protects children with allergies in every school.""They are fairly basic things that we're asking for, but they're not currently something that schools must provide for children with allergies," she said."This is so important. If these measures had been in place, it would have probably saved his [Benedict's] life", Ms Blythe added. In response to the petition, the Department for Education said: "We do not believe the School Allergy Safety Bill is necessary because in the autumn we plan to bring forward proposals for supporting pupils with medical conditions, including allergies."The measures to support children with allergies envisioned in the Schools (Allergy Safety) Bill could be achieved without requiring primary legislation. We will consider how we might take them forward as part of this consultation."The proposal for all schools to hold in-date Adrenaline Auto-Injectors would have important implications for the NHS. We will work with DHSC and NHS England to consider this further."Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
Times
10-07-2025
- Health
- Times
‘Faster response could have saved my son from milk allergy death'
The mother of a boy who died at school after suffering from an allergic reaction has said that 'a moment's difference would have saved his life'. Benedict Blythe, a member of the high-IQ society Mensa, was just five when he experienced the fatal anaphylactic episode at Barnack primary school in Stamford, Lincolnshire, in December 2021. An eight-day inquest at Peterborough town hall concluded on Wednesday that the death of the 'gifted schoolboy', who had milk, egg and nut allergies, was caused by accidentally ingesting cow's milk from his own drinking receptacle, which was stored at his school. Helen Blythe, his mother, told The Times she believes there were a 'series of failures' that led to his death, including staff missing initial signs of the reaction, which caused his adrenaline autoinjector 'being administered too late'. 'It is heartbreaking … if it had been given even a minute earlier, then he might have lived,' Blythe said through pursed lips. 'Milk was poison to him.' The inquest found that among the probable causes of Benedict's death were the delayed administration of his EpiPen and opportunities for cross-contamination with lactose-free milk relating to the storage of his bottle at school. 'He was very aware of his allergies, but I think it was only kind of in the month or two before he died that he started to feel anxious,' she added. Blythe said that she had channelled her 'heartbreak' into campaigning for Benedict's Law, or the School Allergy Safety Bill, which plans to enforce a nationwide allergy policy in every UK school. It sets out training for staff to respond quickly to an emergency and guidelines on stocking spare adrenaline pens. 'Benedict dying was devastating [but] my son is not the first child to die from allergies at school. He [will] not be the last child to die from an allergy in an English school. And that means that we can't sit around waiting for long consultations that may take years to pass. There are children at risk in schools now. 'If in doubt do not delay [treatment] was the message that hadn't reached some of the people that were providing care for [Benedict]. We want the government to respond quickly now.' Elizabeth Gray, the area coroner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, previously told the hearing that Benedict had been kept off school on November 30 after his mother called in to inform them he was sick. But Blythe said he in fact was 'not unwell' and had been just managing 'a common, life-long night cough', adding that 'he was fit to return to school'. She said Benedict had a flexible schooling schedule because of his advanced learning. He returned on December 1 and during his morning break was seen eating a gingerbread biscuit brought from home, the inquest heard. He then returned to the classroom, where he was offered oat milk, which the school claimed he refused. He then fell ill — vomiting and collapsing — and later was pronounced dead at Peterborough City Hospital. Amy Jones, the head teacher, told the inquest that Benedict's oat milk was labelled and kept in a staff fridge, which also stored lactose-free milk for another child in the class. Last week, Dr Shuaib Nasser told the hearing that lactose-free milk was 'just as allergenic to a child [who is] allergic to cow's milk'. • Inspired by loss, law graduate fights for allergy safety reforms Blythe said: 'I remember having a conversation with his dad and we said, 'He just needs to go to school, make some friends, and they just need to keep him alive'. 'He loved school, he absolutely loved it. On his first week, he cried when he realised he couldn't go to school at the weekend. Ben would wake up at five o'clock in the morning and want to play numbers and do maths and loved worksheets and problems.' She added: 'The things that we miss much more is his kindness, curiosity and bubbling energy.'
BBC News
10-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Family want law to keep children with allergies safe at school
The family of a five-year-old boy who died from a severe allergic reaction at school are calling for a new law to help keep children Blythe died after accidental exposure to an allergen - cow's milk protein -at Barnack Primary School, between Stamford and Peterborough, in December inquest jury found the school did not follow all the measures in place to prevent the fatal anaphylactic reaction - and there were risks of contamination with other milk and delays in administering an adrenalin mother, Helen Blythe, said introducing Benedict's Law was an "opportunity for government to learn and introduce measures to stop this happening in future." A spokesperson for the Department for Education said it would "consider the jury's conclusions carefully".The school has been approached for comment. Benedict loved school, his mum told the BBC. "The first week he went to school when he started, he cried when he came home on the Friday because he realised he didn't get to go to school on the weekends," she said."It was like he had been waiting his entire life for the opportunity to go to school and learn - and he was really fortunate that he a group of good friends really quickly." Benedict had asthma and a number of allergies, including eggs, nuts, kiwi fruit and milk, she Blythe was assured the school had policies and training to manage his allergies, and said it was "one of the reasons we felt secure and safe in him going to the school". "We have since found out through the course of the inquest that wasn't the case," she parents said they had worked with the school to put together an allergy action plan and informed them that vomiting was "always" the first symptom of a plan also included a specific process for storing, preparing and supplying oat milk to their son. It involved storing the milk, labelled with the child's name, in the staff fridge and pouring it into Benedict's cup in the classroom before handing it directly to inquest heard that on the day of his death, that process was not followed because his milk had been poured in the staff room and then taken to him in the classroom. On 1 December, while at school Benedict vomited twice before he 12:57 GMT he was pronounced dead at Peterborough City Hospital due to food-induced anaphylaxis."I think any parent would dread the call from the school to say their child was unwell," Mrs Blythe said."Learning that's a call that they are seriously unwell is something I think will strike fear into anyone's heart - it certainly did mine and it's a call I think every parent hopes they will never receive, and unfortunately we did."She said she believed his death was preventable.A jury found "probable causes" of Benedict's death included the delayed administration of his adrenaline, opportunities for cross-contamination or mix up of milk, and that his allergy plan was not shared with teaching also said there were missed opportunities to review "lessons learned" from a previous incident, when Benedict was served pizza for lunch at school in October 2021, which resulted in him being sick. The family wants the government to introduce Benedict's Law, to keep children with allergies safe at school. It would make it compulsory for all schools to have spare allergy pens, allergy-trained staff, and a school allergy policy."Changing the law to protect other children should be absolutely top of their priority list," Mrs Blythe said."Children's wellbeing is at stake and their lives, ultimately. I think it would be foolish of them not to listen." Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
The Independent
09-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Five-year-old died after accidentally ingesting wrong milk, inquest finds
An inquest jury has concluded that a five-year-old boy who tragically died after an allergic reaction at school was accidentally exposed to cow's milk protein, most likely from his own bottle. Benedict Blythe, a reception pupil at Barnack Primary School in Stamford, Lincolnshire, suffered food-induced anaphylaxis and died in hospital on 1 December 2021. Jurors heard that the boy, who had joined the high-IQ society Mensa at the age of four, was asthmatic and had severe allergies to milk, eggs, and certain nuts. He had vomited twice before going into cardiac arrest. On Wednesday, the foreperson of the jury at Peterborough Town Hall said: 'We deem the probable source of the allergen that caused the fatal anaphylaxis is the ingestion of cow's milk protein, most probably from his own receptacle during break time.' Speaking after the conclusion of the inquest, Benedict's mother Helen Blythe said: 'Benedict died in a place where he should have been safe – his school. 'Benedict's death was preventable and was caused by a cascade of failures – individual, institutional, and systemic.' Factors which the jury found 'probably caused' Benedict's death include the delayed administration of his adrenaline, opportunities for cross-contamination or mix up of milk, and that his allergy plan was not shared with teaching staff. Jurors recorded the conclusion as 'accidental exposure to an allergen, cow's milk protein, causing fatal anaphylaxis'. The jury also found Benedict's recent illness, exercise, his uncontrolled asthma, and a 'missed opportunity' to review 'lessons learned' after he had an allergic reaction to pizza at school in the October before his death were other factors. Benedict was kept home from school the day before he died because he had been unwell and vomited, but woke up 'in good health' the next morning. The eight-day inquest heard that he ate a McVitie's gingerbread biscuit during break time that morning, which he had eaten on previous occasions, and refused to drink a bottle of oat milk poured by his teacher. The jury was told that a sample of the biscuit was independently tested for cow's milk proteins, but traces were not detectable. He also ate dairy-free chocolate before he went to school, which his parents had put into an advent calendar, and his usual breakfast cereal with oat milk. Area coroner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Elizabeth Gray told the jury they 'may not record' that the allergic reaction was a response to the biscuit, the chocolate, or his breakfast, based on the evidence heard. Dr Shuaib Nasser, a consultant in asthma and allergy, concluded that a 'small amount' of cow's milk most likely caused the fatal anaphylactic reaction because Benedict had a 'life-threatening' milk allergy, while his egg allergy was 'mild', the jury was told. The inquest heard Benedict's adrenaline auto-injector (AAI) was administered twice by a teaching assistant, before CPR and a defibrillator were attempted but he died later that day at Peterborough City Hospital. The jury was told that Benedict's oat milk, given to the school by his parents, was kept in a separate fridge in the staff room along with a carton of lactose-free milk for another child in his class. The class teacher, Jenny Brass, told the inquest she would not have confused Benedict's oat milk with the lactose-free milk, which he could not drink because it contained dairy allergens. The jury concluded that the school's usual procedure of giving Benedict his milk was not followed on the day of his death because the milk was poured into his cup in the staff room rather than in the classroom and given 'directly' to him. Benedict's mother said the school was given a management plan for his allergic reactions, and said vomiting was 'always' the first symptom. The jury heard that Benedict loved school, was 'extremely bright' and was 'thriving' in the three months he spent there before his death. The Benedict Blythe Foundation was set up in the schoolboy's memory and, along with The Allergy Team and the Independent Schools' Bursars Association (ISBA), launched the schools allergy code last year to set out how schools can keep pupils safe. Speaking outside Peterborough Town Hall after the conclusion of the inquest, Ms Blythe said: 'There were critical failings from the very beginning. 'The investigation at the time was inadequate as the evidence needed to establish how and why he died was never obtained. Because of that, precious time was lost — and with it, opportunities to understand what happened to our son. 'No more children should die at school because of an allergy. 'We demand change. We call on this government to protect our children with Benedict's Law, making it mandatory to have an allergy policy in every school, staff allergy training including understanding allergies, how to manage them and identify signs of a reaction, and respond quickly in an emergency, and spare adrenaline allergy pens in every school. 'Proper oversight. Real accountability. Immediate action. We owe that to every child.'
Telegraph
09-07-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Boy, 5, killed by allergic reaction to cow's milk at school
A five-year-old boy was killed by an allergic reaction to cow's milk he was accidentally exposed to at school, an inquest jury has found. Benedict Blythe, who was a member of Mensa, died following the reaction on Dec 1 2021. The reception pupil at Barnack Primary School in Stamford, Lincolnshire, vomited twice before going into cardiac arrest. Jurors heard that he was asthmatic and allergic to milk, eggs and some nuts. On Wednesday, the foreman of the jury at Peterborough Town Hall said: 'We deem the probable source of the allergen that caused the fatal anaphylaxis is the ingestion of cow's milk protein, most probably from his own receptacle during break time.' Speaking after the conclusion of the inquest, Benedict's mother Helen Blythe said: 'Three and a half years ago, we lost our son. Benedict died in a place where he should have been safe – his school. 'Benedict's death was preventable and was caused by a cascade of failures – individual, institutional, and systemic.' Factors that the jury found 'probably caused' Benedict's death include the delayed administration of his adrenaline, opportunities for cross-contamination or mix-up of milk, and that his allergy plan was not shared with teaching staff. Jurors recorded the conclusion as 'accidental exposure to an allergen, cow's milk protein, causing fatal anaphylaxis'. The jury also found Benedict's recent illness, exercise, his uncontrolled asthma, and a 'missed opportunity' to review 'lessons learned' after he had an allergic reaction to pizza at school in the October before his death were other factors. Benedict was kept home from school the day before he died because he had been unwell and vomited, but woke up 'in good health' the next morning before school. The eight-day inquest heard that he ate a McVitie's gingerbread biscuit during break time that morning, which he had eaten on previous occasions, and refused to drink a bottle of oat milk poured by his teacher. The jury was told that a sample of the biscuit was independently tested for cow's milk proteins, but traces were not detectable. He also ate dairy-free chocolate before he went to school, which his parents had put into an advent calendar, and his usual breakfast cereal with oat milk. Elizabeth Gray, area coroner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, told the jury they 'may not record' that the allergic reaction was a response to the biscuit, the chocolate, or his breakfast, based on the evidence heard. Dr Shuaib Nasser, a consultant in asthma and allergy, concluded that a 'small amount' of cow's milk most likely caused the fatal anaphylactic reaction, because Benedict had a 'life-threatening' milk allergy – while his egg allergy was 'mild', the jury was told. The inquest heard Benedict's adrenaline auto-injector was administered twice by a teaching assistant, before CPR and a defibrillator were attempted, but he died later that day at Peterborough City Hospital. The jury was told that Benedict's oat milk, given to the school by his parents, was kept in a separate fridge in the staff room along with a carton of lactose-free milk for another child in his class. Jenny Brass, the class teacher, told the inquest she would not have confused Benedict's oat milk with the lactose-free milk, which he could not drink because it contained dairy allergens. The inquest heard it is possible Benedict took a sip of the drink when his back was turned away from the teacher. Vomiting 'always' the first symptom The jury concluded that the school's usual procedure of giving Benedict his milk was not followed on the day of his death because the milk was poured into his cup in the staff room rather than in the classroom and given 'directly' to him. Benedict's mother said the school was given a management plan for his allergic reactions, and said vomiting was 'always' the first symptom. The jury heard that Benedict loved school, was 'extremely bright', and was 'thriving' in the three months he spent there before his death. The Benedict Blythe Foundation was set up in the schoolboy's memory and, along with The Allergy Team and the Independent Schools' Bursars Association, launched the schools allergy code last year to set out how schools can keep pupils safe. Speaking outside Peterborough Town Hall after the conclusion of the inquest, Mrs Blythe said: 'There were critical failings from the very beginning. 'The investigation at the time was inadequate as the evidence needed to establish how and why he died was never obtained. Because of that, precious time was lost – and with it, opportunities to understand what happened to our son. 'No more children should die at school because of an allergy. 'We demand change. We call on this government to protect our children with Benedict's Law, making it mandatory to have an allergy policy in every school, staff allergy training including understanding allergies, how to manage them and identify signs of a reaction, and respond quickly in an emergency, and spare adrenaline allergy pens in every school. 'Proper oversight. Real accountability. Immediate action. We owe that to every child.'
