A mother’s campaign following the death of her son at the hospital she worked at will lead to nationwide changes to the way sepsis is treated.
Dr Deborah Burns’ 22-year-old son William Hewes died from the condition in January 2023, at the Homerton Hospital in east London after she pleaded with staff to administer antibiotics to her son immediately but there was an hour delay.
Yesterday, Dr Burns was told by Coroner Mary Hassell that her efforts to expose shortcomings in his treatment will result in new guidance for the treatment of sepsis being rolled out ‘up and down the country’.
Hospital staff initially ruled there was no need for a review into the death of the history and politics student studying at Leeds University, arguing their treatment of him was adequate.
But an inquest at Bow Coroner’s Court heard Dr Burns was never consulted by the hospital about her fears over staff taking too long to give her son antibiotics despite being a paediatrician at the hospital.
Coroner Hassell, who is considering making a prevention of future deaths report, said: ‘It seems to me that the lessons learnt must be shared at a national level.
‘This is not the first time I have heard an inquest where a great deal of the investigation is driven by the family.
William Hewes (pictured), a history and politics university student at Leeds, died 12 hours after being admitted to Homerton Hospital in January 2023
Mr Hewes (right, with his three siblings) was studying history and politics at university and was said to have been fit and healthy before the infection
Coroner Hassell added the death of Mr Hewes, was ‘similar’ to death of Martha Mills (pictured) who died from sepsis aged 13 in 2021
‘Nothing can bring William back, but it seems to me that others may be saved as a result of the work done following William’s death.’
Coroner Hassell added the death of Mr Hewes, was ‘similar’ to death of Martha Mills who died from sepsis aged 13 in 2021, having been treated at King’s College Hospital, London.
Her death led to a nationwide initiative allowing families to seek a second medical opinion immediately if they feel their concerns about a relative’s deteriorating condition are not being responded to.
Dr Burns also told the inquest for the first time of her son’s final hours as she rushed him to hospital.
Mr Hewes complained of feeling cold and stressed about an essay he was due to hand in to his mother over the telephone, while she was out in central London.
Returning home she picked up a few pizzas and they spent the evening watching a film together, before he went to bed between 10 and 11pm.
Mr Hewes then told her he was suffering from pains to his side and bruising, and Dr Burns drove him to hospital.
Upon arriving at hospital shortly after midnight Dr Burns recalled saying: ‘My son needs antibiotics. But I was told to sit down by the triage nurse.’
It was not until more than an hour later he received antibiotics by which stage his condition had deteriorated considerably.
By the early hours Mr Hewes was in extreme discomfort and had lost sight in both his eyes, while suffering from a painful rash caused by a meningococcal infection, which developed into fatal sepsis.
Martha Mills’ death led to a nationwide initiative allowing families to seek a second medical opinion immediately if they feel their concerns about a relative’s deteriorating condition are not being responded to. Pictured: Martha and her mother Merope in Yosemite in 2016
The inquest heard additionally to the delay in the administering antibiotics, there was a breakdown in communication between the hospital and Dr Burns.
Accident and Emergency Consultant Claire Charley who also works for the hospital accepted she was unaware of Dr Burns’ fears over her son’s care when she ruled there was no need for an investigation into his death, known as a Serious Incident Review.
Dr Burns did not even receive a phone call from her colleague asking for her opinion on the treatment her son received.
Coroner Hassell added: ‘It is not that you treated Dr Burns better than anyone else, you treated her worse.
‘It just seems so surprising to me that you had one of your own consultants and you are making this really significant decision not to conduct a Serious Incident Review investigation, and you don’t think she is one of my own colleagues I will just call her.
‘Then at that point you would have established that communication and secondly you would have got her concerns.’
Ms Charley explained since Mr Hewes’ death the hospital had introduced new policies for treating sepsis, which will be revealed on 27 March, when Coroner Hassell delivers her conclusions.
Holding back her tears Ms Charley, personally addressed Ms Burns, telling her: ‘I want personally to tell you how profoundly sorry I am that we could not save William that day but I hope that I have been able to demonstrate to you some of the thing we have done as a trust and a department to demonstrate that we have stopped to listen and we will learn.’
