Latest news with #Pippa
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Health
- Sydney Morning Herald
Rare but ‘catastrophic' bacterial infection behind NSW children's deaths
A rare but highly aggressive infection that surged after the lifting of COVID restrictions probably contributed to the death of two-year-old Pippa White, as well as resulting in the deaths of at least four more children in NSW, an inquest has heard. Associate Professor Kathryn Browning Carmo, acting director of the NSW Newborn & paediatric Emergency Transport Service (NETS), told an inquest into Pippa's death on Tuesday that hers was one of the first 'in a series of cases' of Group A streptococcus (iGAS) the emergency service dealt with over a two-year period. Carmo said NSW was largely 'immune naive' to what appeared to be a more aggressive form of the bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes when doctors at Orange Base Hospital called for NETS assistance around 6am on June 13, 2022, hours before Pippa's death. The infection was rare but could lead to 'devastating, crashing and catastrophic' cases of sepsis in children, Carmo said, noting that some children could go from having very little water in the lungs to 'complete whiteout' on scans 'within hours'. 'It was that aggressive … it was an absolutely devastating illness,' she said. An academic paper co-authored by Carmo and read in court showed the NETS team were referred to 77 cases of children with iGAS between November 2022 and February 2024. Four died from the infection. In the previous five years, they had responded to just nine cases.
The Age
5 days ago
- Health
- The Age
Rare but ‘catastrophic' bacterial infection behind NSW children's deaths
A rare but highly aggressive infection that surged after the lifting of COVID restrictions probably contributed to the death of two-year-old Pippa White, as well as resulting in the deaths of at least four more children in NSW, an inquest has heard. Associate Professor Kathryn Browning Carmo, acting director of the NSW Newborn & paediatric Emergency Transport Service (NETS), told an inquest into Pippa's death on Tuesday that hers was one of the first 'in a series of cases' of Group A streptococcus (iGAS) the emergency service dealt with over a two-year period. Carmo said NSW was largely 'immune naive' to what appeared to be a more aggressive form of the bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes when doctors at Orange Base Hospital called for NETS assistance around 6am on June 13, 2022, hours before Pippa's death. The infection was rare but could lead to 'devastating, crashing and catastrophic' cases of sepsis in children, Carmo said, noting that some children could go from having very little water in the lungs to 'complete whiteout' on scans 'within hours'. 'It was that aggressive … it was an absolutely devastating illness,' she said. An academic paper co-authored by Carmo and read in court showed the NETS team were referred to 77 cases of children with iGAS between November 2022 and February 2024. Four died from the infection. In the previous five years, they had responded to just nine cases.
The Advertiser
5 days ago
- Health
- The Advertiser
Grieving dad turned to football after daughter's death to 'get hurt'
The "broken" family of a toddler whose death at Orange Hospital is the subject of a NSW coronial inquest has issued heart-breaking statements on the first day of the hearing. At around 2pm on Sunday, June 12, 2022 Pippa Mae White was admitted to Cowra hospital by her mother with a fever, low oxygen levels and laboured breathing. She was sent home due to long wait times but her condition worsened and her mother Annah White took her back. After assessing the two-year-old girl, an ambulance was organised to transport her to Orange Hospital. She arrived at Orange Hospital at about 9.20pm that night and died of sepsis the following day. Speaking from the NSW Coroners Court at Lidcombe on May 26, 2025, Pippa's grandmother and former nurse, Marianne Stonestreet, said she left her farm on Sunday and travelled to Orange Hospital. "I was shocked and appalled at Pippa's condition," Ms Stonestreet said. "It was obvious to me that she was critically unwell. Pippa didn't even react to my arrival. Usually she would run into your arms, hug, kiss. Her energy lit up the room. This time nothing." Pippa and her mother were taken to the children's ward. Due to Covid restrictions and it being outside of visiting hours, Ms Stonestreet was not allowed to accompany them. She then left the hospital "sick with worry". "I believe the hospital system, and the medical decisions made that (Sunday) night are responsible for her loss and for our family's ongoing grief," she said. "I am broken and I am angry in ways I can not even explain." The grandmother called for Pippa's death to help fix a "broken" system. "This grief didn't come from an accident, it came from what I believe is a total neglect, medical neglect," she added. "Please don't look away, please help us change this system so no one else loses a child this way." Since the death of his daughter, Brock White has admittedly struggled to cope with the loss. "At the start, I couldn't believe it," he said. "I thought it was a nightmare. The anger, the frustration, the disbelief that I'd lost my baby girl. No more kisses on the cheek or cuddles. We as a family had lost part of us." Mr White told the court he took up drinking "first thing" in the morning. He would finish bottles but "nothing helped". The grieving father then signed up to play rugby league and rugby union so he "could hurt somebody and get hurt". "I needed to be hurt physically," he added. "I also had to show there was a positive way to deal with emotions through sport." No longer can Mr White listen to the radio or watch the news for fear it will result in a panic attack. Since the first coronial inquest into Pippa's death in July 2024, her mother has advocated for change to a health system she blames for her daughter's death. "The health system have ripped away any beautiful memory we could have ever made with her," Ms White said. "We have been robbed of all our hopes and dreams with our daughter Pippa. Given a life sentence. "On those two days Pip was in the hospital, our precious daughter fell through the cracks of our already failing and struggling health system." Ms White asked those in the courtroom to imagine this death had happened to someone they loved. She asked them to keep that in mind during the duration of the inquest. "It's up to us to enact change to save your Pippas," Ms White added. "There's no end to the pain and suffering we as her family and friends will feel. "So take the time and as long as necessary to consider what recommendations can be put forward. Let this be the one that generates the change." The inquest continues. The "broken" family of a toddler whose death at Orange Hospital is the subject of a NSW coronial inquest has issued heart-breaking statements on the first day of the hearing. At around 2pm on Sunday, June 12, 2022 Pippa Mae White was admitted to Cowra hospital by her mother with a fever, low oxygen levels and laboured breathing. She was sent home due to long wait times but her condition worsened and her mother Annah White took her back. After assessing the two-year-old girl, an ambulance was organised to transport her to Orange Hospital. She arrived at Orange Hospital at about 9.20pm that night and died of sepsis the following day. Speaking from the NSW Coroners Court at Lidcombe on May 26, 2025, Pippa's grandmother and former nurse, Marianne Stonestreet, said she left her farm on Sunday and travelled to Orange Hospital. "I was shocked and appalled at Pippa's condition," Ms Stonestreet said. "It was obvious to me that she was critically unwell. Pippa didn't even react to my arrival. Usually she would run into your arms, hug, kiss. Her energy lit up the room. This time nothing." Pippa and her mother were taken to the children's ward. Due to Covid restrictions and it being outside of visiting hours, Ms Stonestreet was not allowed to accompany them. She then left the hospital "sick with worry". "I believe the hospital system, and the medical decisions made that (Sunday) night are responsible for her loss and for our family's ongoing grief," she said. "I am broken and I am angry in ways I can not even explain." The grandmother called for Pippa's death to help fix a "broken" system. "This grief didn't come from an accident, it came from what I believe is a total neglect, medical neglect," she added. "Please don't look away, please help us change this system so no one else loses a child this way." Since the death of his daughter, Brock White has admittedly struggled to cope with the loss. "At the start, I couldn't believe it," he said. "I thought it was a nightmare. The anger, the frustration, the disbelief that I'd lost my baby girl. No more kisses on the cheek or cuddles. We as a family had lost part of us." Mr White told the court he took up drinking "first thing" in the morning. He would finish bottles but "nothing helped". The grieving father then signed up to play rugby league and rugby union so he "could hurt somebody and get hurt". "I needed to be hurt physically," he added. "I also had to show there was a positive way to deal with emotions through sport." No longer can Mr White listen to the radio or watch the news for fear it will result in a panic attack. Since the first coronial inquest into Pippa's death in July 2024, her mother has advocated for change to a health system she blames for her daughter's death. "The health system have ripped away any beautiful memory we could have ever made with her," Ms White said. "We have been robbed of all our hopes and dreams with our daughter Pippa. Given a life sentence. "On those two days Pip was in the hospital, our precious daughter fell through the cracks of our already failing and struggling health system." Ms White asked those in the courtroom to imagine this death had happened to someone they loved. She asked them to keep that in mind during the duration of the inquest. "It's up to us to enact change to save your Pippas," Ms White added. "There's no end to the pain and suffering we as her family and friends will feel. "So take the time and as long as necessary to consider what recommendations can be put forward. Let this be the one that generates the change." The inquest continues. The "broken" family of a toddler whose death at Orange Hospital is the subject of a NSW coronial inquest has issued heart-breaking statements on the first day of the hearing. At around 2pm on Sunday, June 12, 2022 Pippa Mae White was admitted to Cowra hospital by her mother with a fever, low oxygen levels and laboured breathing. She was sent home due to long wait times but her condition worsened and her mother Annah White took her back. After assessing the two-year-old girl, an ambulance was organised to transport her to Orange Hospital. She arrived at Orange Hospital at about 9.20pm that night and died of sepsis the following day. Speaking from the NSW Coroners Court at Lidcombe on May 26, 2025, Pippa's grandmother and former nurse, Marianne Stonestreet, said she left her farm on Sunday and travelled to Orange Hospital. "I was shocked and appalled at Pippa's condition," Ms Stonestreet said. "It was obvious to me that she was critically unwell. Pippa didn't even react to my arrival. Usually she would run into your arms, hug, kiss. Her energy lit up the room. This time nothing." Pippa and her mother were taken to the children's ward. Due to Covid restrictions and it being outside of visiting hours, Ms Stonestreet was not allowed to accompany them. She then left the hospital "sick with worry". "I believe the hospital system, and the medical decisions made that (Sunday) night are responsible for her loss and for our family's ongoing grief," she said. "I am broken and I am angry in ways I can not even explain." The grandmother called for Pippa's death to help fix a "broken" system. "This grief didn't come from an accident, it came from what I believe is a total neglect, medical neglect," she added. "Please don't look away, please help us change this system so no one else loses a child this way." Since the death of his daughter, Brock White has admittedly struggled to cope with the loss. "At the start, I couldn't believe it," he said. "I thought it was a nightmare. The anger, the frustration, the disbelief that I'd lost my baby girl. No more kisses on the cheek or cuddles. We as a family had lost part of us." Mr White told the court he took up drinking "first thing" in the morning. He would finish bottles but "nothing helped". The grieving father then signed up to play rugby league and rugby union so he "could hurt somebody and get hurt". "I needed to be hurt physically," he added. "I also had to show there was a positive way to deal with emotions through sport." No longer can Mr White listen to the radio or watch the news for fear it will result in a panic attack. Since the first coronial inquest into Pippa's death in July 2024, her mother has advocated for change to a health system she blames for her daughter's death. "The health system have ripped away any beautiful memory we could have ever made with her," Ms White said. "We have been robbed of all our hopes and dreams with our daughter Pippa. Given a life sentence. "On those two days Pip was in the hospital, our precious daughter fell through the cracks of our already failing and struggling health system." Ms White asked those in the courtroom to imagine this death had happened to someone they loved. She asked them to keep that in mind during the duration of the inquest. "It's up to us to enact change to save your Pippas," Ms White added. "There's no end to the pain and suffering we as her family and friends will feel. "So take the time and as long as necessary to consider what recommendations can be put forward. Let this be the one that generates the change." The inquest continues. The "broken" family of a toddler whose death at Orange Hospital is the subject of a NSW coronial inquest has issued heart-breaking statements on the first day of the hearing. At around 2pm on Sunday, June 12, 2022 Pippa Mae White was admitted to Cowra hospital by her mother with a fever, low oxygen levels and laboured breathing. She was sent home due to long wait times but her condition worsened and her mother Annah White took her back. After assessing the two-year-old girl, an ambulance was organised to transport her to Orange Hospital. She arrived at Orange Hospital at about 9.20pm that night and died of sepsis the following day. Speaking from the NSW Coroners Court at Lidcombe on May 26, 2025, Pippa's grandmother and former nurse, Marianne Stonestreet, said she left her farm on Sunday and travelled to Orange Hospital. "I was shocked and appalled at Pippa's condition," Ms Stonestreet said. "It was obvious to me that she was critically unwell. Pippa didn't even react to my arrival. Usually she would run into your arms, hug, kiss. Her energy lit up the room. This time nothing." Pippa and her mother were taken to the children's ward. Due to Covid restrictions and it being outside of visiting hours, Ms Stonestreet was not allowed to accompany them. She then left the hospital "sick with worry". "I believe the hospital system, and the medical decisions made that (Sunday) night are responsible for her loss and for our family's ongoing grief," she said. "I am broken and I am angry in ways I can not even explain." The grandmother called for Pippa's death to help fix a "broken" system. "This grief didn't come from an accident, it came from what I believe is a total neglect, medical neglect," she added. "Please don't look away, please help us change this system so no one else loses a child this way." Since the death of his daughter, Brock White has admittedly struggled to cope with the loss. "At the start, I couldn't believe it," he said. "I thought it was a nightmare. The anger, the frustration, the disbelief that I'd lost my baby girl. No more kisses on the cheek or cuddles. We as a family had lost part of us." Mr White told the court he took up drinking "first thing" in the morning. He would finish bottles but "nothing helped". The grieving father then signed up to play rugby league and rugby union so he "could hurt somebody and get hurt". "I needed to be hurt physically," he added. "I also had to show there was a positive way to deal with emotions through sport." No longer can Mr White listen to the radio or watch the news for fear it will result in a panic attack. Since the first coronial inquest into Pippa's death in July 2024, her mother has advocated for change to a health system she blames for her daughter's death. "The health system have ripped away any beautiful memory we could have ever made with her," Ms White said. "We have been robbed of all our hopes and dreams with our daughter Pippa. Given a life sentence. "On those two days Pip was in the hospital, our precious daughter fell through the cracks of our already failing and struggling health system." Ms White asked those in the courtroom to imagine this death had happened to someone they loved. She asked them to keep that in mind during the duration of the inquest. "It's up to us to enact change to save your Pippas," Ms White added. "There's no end to the pain and suffering we as her family and friends will feel. "So take the time and as long as necessary to consider what recommendations can be put forward. Let this be the one that generates the change." The inquest continues.
The Advertiser
6 days ago
- Health
- The Advertiser
'Your Pippa is still alive': mum's health reform plea
Almost three years after their critically ill toddler's "preventable" and tragic hospital death, her family wants to light a fire of change. Pippa Mae White died from sepsis in June 2022, weeks before her third birthday, after being transferred to Orange Hospital in the NSW central west. "It is very evident to us that our daughter Pippa should not have died," her mother Annah White said on Monday outside an inquest into the girl's tragic death. The inquest, resuming this week, has heard of multiple healthcare failures including understaffing, a lack of training, missed opportunities for escalation and a dismissal of her concerns as a parent, Ms White said. She took Pippa to hospital in Cowra on June 12, about three days after she began experiencing a high temperature, vomiting and diarrhoea. Eventually transferred to Orange, an experienced pediatrician believed Pippa was "getting better" after reading notes from a doctor at Cowra. But Ms White testified that at the time her daughter was "lethargic" and vomiting fluids given to her. At Orange Base Hospital, tests revealed the toddler had pneumonia with a complete white-out of her left lung. But further delays occurred before she suffered two cardiac arrests and died about 12.30pm on June 13. Speaking besides a portrait of her daughter wearing a dress of her favourite colour, yellow, Ms White asked those within the packed courtroom on Monday to consider Pippa as someone in their life they loved dearly. "Now, imagine this tragic death occurred to your Pippa," she said. "How does that make you feel? Hold onto that feeling. "I hope hearing about Pippa's last moments during this inquest lights a fire deep inside you to fight for change - because your Pippas are still alive." The family has suggested mandatory sepsis training, better resourcing of emergency departments and a system for patient, family or carer escalation such as Queensland's Ryan's Rule or Western Australia's Aishwarya's Care Call. Ryan Saunders died of an undiagnosed streptococcal infection in 2007, with his parents feeling their vocal concerns about his condition were not acted on in time by Rockhampton hospital staff. Parental advocacy not being acted upon was also raised after two-year-old Joe Massa died of a cardiac arrest at Sydney's Northern Beaches Hospital in September. He was wrongly triaged and waited two hours for a hospital bed, his parents say. Seven-year-old Aishwarya Aswath died of sepsis on Easter Saturday 2021, hours after presenting to the Perth Children's Hospital emergency department with a fever and unusually cold hands. Her parents had pleaded with clinicians to escalate care. Pippa's inquest on Monday heard from the registered nurse who triaged the toddler at Cowra hospital and noted she had a very high heart rate. Nikota Potter-Bancroft said she put this down to Pippa's anxiety because she seemed upset and did not want the hospital staff to touch her. She was shown a phone video taken of the toddler struggling to breath and grunting 10 minutes before her assessment. Ms Potter-Bancroft said she did not remember seeing Pippa in that way. "Don't you accept that if she was breathing in that manner ... that was a serious failure on your part not to notice that?" the Whites' barrister Richard O'Keefe SC asked. "Not necessarily because I didn't see it," Ms Potter-Bancroft replied. The nurse admitted she had not looked at the hospital's pediatric sepsis pathway when assessing Pippa. But she denied the toddler met the criteria or required a rapid response. The courtroom was packed with Pippa's family and friends who travelled to Sydney for the inquest. Outside court, Ms White described them as "Pip's army" who were all equally broken and shattered. The inquest continues. Almost three years after their critically ill toddler's "preventable" and tragic hospital death, her family wants to light a fire of change. Pippa Mae White died from sepsis in June 2022, weeks before her third birthday, after being transferred to Orange Hospital in the NSW central west. "It is very evident to us that our daughter Pippa should not have died," her mother Annah White said on Monday outside an inquest into the girl's tragic death. The inquest, resuming this week, has heard of multiple healthcare failures including understaffing, a lack of training, missed opportunities for escalation and a dismissal of her concerns as a parent, Ms White said. She took Pippa to hospital in Cowra on June 12, about three days after she began experiencing a high temperature, vomiting and diarrhoea. Eventually transferred to Orange, an experienced pediatrician believed Pippa was "getting better" after reading notes from a doctor at Cowra. But Ms White testified that at the time her daughter was "lethargic" and vomiting fluids given to her. At Orange Base Hospital, tests revealed the toddler had pneumonia with a complete white-out of her left lung. But further delays occurred before she suffered two cardiac arrests and died about 12.30pm on June 13. Speaking besides a portrait of her daughter wearing a dress of her favourite colour, yellow, Ms White asked those within the packed courtroom on Monday to consider Pippa as someone in their life they loved dearly. "Now, imagine this tragic death occurred to your Pippa," she said. "How does that make you feel? Hold onto that feeling. "I hope hearing about Pippa's last moments during this inquest lights a fire deep inside you to fight for change - because your Pippas are still alive." The family has suggested mandatory sepsis training, better resourcing of emergency departments and a system for patient, family or carer escalation such as Queensland's Ryan's Rule or Western Australia's Aishwarya's Care Call. Ryan Saunders died of an undiagnosed streptococcal infection in 2007, with his parents feeling their vocal concerns about his condition were not acted on in time by Rockhampton hospital staff. Parental advocacy not being acted upon was also raised after two-year-old Joe Massa died of a cardiac arrest at Sydney's Northern Beaches Hospital in September. He was wrongly triaged and waited two hours for a hospital bed, his parents say. Seven-year-old Aishwarya Aswath died of sepsis on Easter Saturday 2021, hours after presenting to the Perth Children's Hospital emergency department with a fever and unusually cold hands. Her parents had pleaded with clinicians to escalate care. Pippa's inquest on Monday heard from the registered nurse who triaged the toddler at Cowra hospital and noted she had a very high heart rate. Nikota Potter-Bancroft said she put this down to Pippa's anxiety because she seemed upset and did not want the hospital staff to touch her. She was shown a phone video taken of the toddler struggling to breath and grunting 10 minutes before her assessment. Ms Potter-Bancroft said she did not remember seeing Pippa in that way. "Don't you accept that if she was breathing in that manner ... that was a serious failure on your part not to notice that?" the Whites' barrister Richard O'Keefe SC asked. "Not necessarily because I didn't see it," Ms Potter-Bancroft replied. The nurse admitted she had not looked at the hospital's pediatric sepsis pathway when assessing Pippa. But she denied the toddler met the criteria or required a rapid response. The courtroom was packed with Pippa's family and friends who travelled to Sydney for the inquest. Outside court, Ms White described them as "Pip's army" who were all equally broken and shattered. The inquest continues. Almost three years after their critically ill toddler's "preventable" and tragic hospital death, her family wants to light a fire of change. Pippa Mae White died from sepsis in June 2022, weeks before her third birthday, after being transferred to Orange Hospital in the NSW central west. "It is very evident to us that our daughter Pippa should not have died," her mother Annah White said on Monday outside an inquest into the girl's tragic death. The inquest, resuming this week, has heard of multiple healthcare failures including understaffing, a lack of training, missed opportunities for escalation and a dismissal of her concerns as a parent, Ms White said. She took Pippa to hospital in Cowra on June 12, about three days after she began experiencing a high temperature, vomiting and diarrhoea. Eventually transferred to Orange, an experienced pediatrician believed Pippa was "getting better" after reading notes from a doctor at Cowra. But Ms White testified that at the time her daughter was "lethargic" and vomiting fluids given to her. At Orange Base Hospital, tests revealed the toddler had pneumonia with a complete white-out of her left lung. But further delays occurred before she suffered two cardiac arrests and died about 12.30pm on June 13. Speaking besides a portrait of her daughter wearing a dress of her favourite colour, yellow, Ms White asked those within the packed courtroom on Monday to consider Pippa as someone in their life they loved dearly. "Now, imagine this tragic death occurred to your Pippa," she said. "How does that make you feel? Hold onto that feeling. "I hope hearing about Pippa's last moments during this inquest lights a fire deep inside you to fight for change - because your Pippas are still alive." The family has suggested mandatory sepsis training, better resourcing of emergency departments and a system for patient, family or carer escalation such as Queensland's Ryan's Rule or Western Australia's Aishwarya's Care Call. Ryan Saunders died of an undiagnosed streptococcal infection in 2007, with his parents feeling their vocal concerns about his condition were not acted on in time by Rockhampton hospital staff. Parental advocacy not being acted upon was also raised after two-year-old Joe Massa died of a cardiac arrest at Sydney's Northern Beaches Hospital in September. He was wrongly triaged and waited two hours for a hospital bed, his parents say. Seven-year-old Aishwarya Aswath died of sepsis on Easter Saturday 2021, hours after presenting to the Perth Children's Hospital emergency department with a fever and unusually cold hands. Her parents had pleaded with clinicians to escalate care. Pippa's inquest on Monday heard from the registered nurse who triaged the toddler at Cowra hospital and noted she had a very high heart rate. Nikota Potter-Bancroft said she put this down to Pippa's anxiety because she seemed upset and did not want the hospital staff to touch her. She was shown a phone video taken of the toddler struggling to breath and grunting 10 minutes before her assessment. Ms Potter-Bancroft said she did not remember seeing Pippa in that way. "Don't you accept that if she was breathing in that manner ... that was a serious failure on your part not to notice that?" the Whites' barrister Richard O'Keefe SC asked. "Not necessarily because I didn't see it," Ms Potter-Bancroft replied. The nurse admitted she had not looked at the hospital's pediatric sepsis pathway when assessing Pippa. But she denied the toddler met the criteria or required a rapid response. The courtroom was packed with Pippa's family and friends who travelled to Sydney for the inquest. Outside court, Ms White described them as "Pip's army" who were all equally broken and shattered. The inquest continues. Almost three years after their critically ill toddler's "preventable" and tragic hospital death, her family wants to light a fire of change. Pippa Mae White died from sepsis in June 2022, weeks before her third birthday, after being transferred to Orange Hospital in the NSW central west. "It is very evident to us that our daughter Pippa should not have died," her mother Annah White said on Monday outside an inquest into the girl's tragic death. The inquest, resuming this week, has heard of multiple healthcare failures including understaffing, a lack of training, missed opportunities for escalation and a dismissal of her concerns as a parent, Ms White said. She took Pippa to hospital in Cowra on June 12, about three days after she began experiencing a high temperature, vomiting and diarrhoea. Eventually transferred to Orange, an experienced pediatrician believed Pippa was "getting better" after reading notes from a doctor at Cowra. But Ms White testified that at the time her daughter was "lethargic" and vomiting fluids given to her. At Orange Base Hospital, tests revealed the toddler had pneumonia with a complete white-out of her left lung. But further delays occurred before she suffered two cardiac arrests and died about 12.30pm on June 13. Speaking besides a portrait of her daughter wearing a dress of her favourite colour, yellow, Ms White asked those within the packed courtroom on Monday to consider Pippa as someone in their life they loved dearly. "Now, imagine this tragic death occurred to your Pippa," she said. "How does that make you feel? Hold onto that feeling. "I hope hearing about Pippa's last moments during this inquest lights a fire deep inside you to fight for change - because your Pippas are still alive." The family has suggested mandatory sepsis training, better resourcing of emergency departments and a system for patient, family or carer escalation such as Queensland's Ryan's Rule or Western Australia's Aishwarya's Care Call. Ryan Saunders died of an undiagnosed streptococcal infection in 2007, with his parents feeling their vocal concerns about his condition were not acted on in time by Rockhampton hospital staff. Parental advocacy not being acted upon was also raised after two-year-old Joe Massa died of a cardiac arrest at Sydney's Northern Beaches Hospital in September. He was wrongly triaged and waited two hours for a hospital bed, his parents say. Seven-year-old Aishwarya Aswath died of sepsis on Easter Saturday 2021, hours after presenting to the Perth Children's Hospital emergency department with a fever and unusually cold hands. Her parents had pleaded with clinicians to escalate care. Pippa's inquest on Monday heard from the registered nurse who triaged the toddler at Cowra hospital and noted she had a very high heart rate. Nikota Potter-Bancroft said she put this down to Pippa's anxiety because she seemed upset and did not want the hospital staff to touch her. She was shown a phone video taken of the toddler struggling to breath and grunting 10 minutes before her assessment. Ms Potter-Bancroft said she did not remember seeing Pippa in that way. "Don't you accept that if she was breathing in that manner ... that was a serious failure on your part not to notice that?" the Whites' barrister Richard O'Keefe SC asked. "Not necessarily because I didn't see it," Ms Potter-Bancroft replied. The nurse admitted she had not looked at the hospital's pediatric sepsis pathway when assessing Pippa. But she denied the toddler met the criteria or required a rapid response. The courtroom was packed with Pippa's family and friends who travelled to Sydney for the inquest. Outside court, Ms White described them as "Pip's army" who were all equally broken and shattered. The inquest continues.
The Age
6 days ago
- Health
- The Age
Brock lost both parents young. Now he's grieving a daughter who could have been saved
A two-year-old who died in a regional NSW hospital should have received treatment immediately after recording a heart rate in the 'red zone' for potential sepsis, but she did not because emergency staff were inundated with critically ill patients including another child needing resuscitation, an inquest into her death has heard. Pippa White died at Orange Base Hospital on June 13, 2022, less than a day after visiting the emergency department at Cowra Hospital with vomiting, diarrhoea and lethargy. She had been recovering from COVID-19 two weeks earlier. She recorded a heart rate of 171 beats per minute when she was first triaged about 2pm on the day before her death. A heart rate that high would be considered in the 'red zone' for potential sepsis, and it ought to have automatically triggered a rapid response from doctors, the inquest heard on Monday. Nikota Potter-Bancroft, the nurse who triaged Pippa at the Cowra emergency department, told the inquest she did not believe the toddler met the criteria for sepsis, despite accepting the high heart rate would normally result in a rapid response. 'She didn't look like a toxic child to me,' Potter-Bancroft told the inquest. The nurse assessed Pippa as a category 3 patient, but said she did not think the toddler would have been treated within the recommended 30-minute timeframe because the department's two nurses and one doctor were preparing to treat an eight-year-old who was being resuscitated in an ambulance on the way to the hospital.
