NHS doctors failed to spot the signs that a ‘truly wonderful’ mother-of-two developed sepsis days after suffering a miscarriage before she tragically died.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust admitted a breach of duty after Lorette Divers, 30, died after miscarrying at 12 weeks.
She went to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, after suffering from stomach pain and a high temperature due to the miscarriage.
Lorette was transferred to a gynaecology ward and a midwife considered she could have sepsis and needed to be seen by a doctor, but she was never assessed.
She had a procedure to remove foetal material but had to be resuscitated when she was found unresponsive afterwards and was taken for emergency surgery.
But the mum-of-two suffered a cardiac arrest and died after 6pm on November 20, 2020, just nine hours after being admitted.
It is believed that as a result of miscarrying, she developed an infection which led to sepsis. The trust has admitted a breach of duty and several failings in her care.
They also failed to suspect she had sepsis, administer intravenous antibiotics and arrange a blood test.
Lorette’s mother Maxine has been left heartbroken since the tragic loss of her daughter, saying: ‘We still have concerns about what happened to Lorette and whether the hospital trust has actually learned from Lorette’s death.
‘These concerns are compounded by the Care Quality Commission saying that services require improvement.
‘It’s too late for Lorette but by speaking out we hope we can highlight the human cost of issues with care so others don’t have to go through what we have.
‘Before Lorette’s death we’d heard of sepsis but had no idea how devastating it is.
‘I wouldn’t wish the pain our family continues to experience on anyone.’
Maxine also paid tribute to her daughter, describing her as a ‘truly wonderful mother’ who was so proud of her two children.
She said: ‘Lorette was a truly wonderful mother and daughter whose death has left a huge void in all our lives.
‘We were all overjoyed and excited when she told us she was expecting again.
‘It almost still doesn’t seem real that what should have been such a happy time ended so tragically.
‘I don’t think we’ll ever get over losing Lorette in the way we did.
‘It’s hard to not feel angry that I’ve lost my beautiful daughter, Jahred his soulmate and the kids their amazing mum.
‘We’ll always make sure that Lorette’s children will know about their mum, how much she loved them and how proud she was of them.
‘But it’s not the same as having her in their lives.’
Rosie Charlton, a specialist medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell said: ‘Maxine, Jahred and the rest of the family remain devastated by the incredibly tragic circumstances surrounding Lorette’s death.
‘What’s made things even harder for them to come to terms with is the manner in which the events leading up to Lorette’s death unfolded.
‘An inquest into Lorette’s death heard worrying evidence about the level of care she received and how she wasn’t classed as an emergency.
‘Maxine and Jahred continue to have a number of concerns about what happened to Lorette.
‘All they want is to ensure is that the issues in Lorette’s care are identified and acknowledged by the trust, and that all lessons are learned so other families don’t have to endure what they have.
‘We now call on the trust to work with us to resolve Lorette’s case as quickly as possible.
‘While nothing will make up for what’s happened, Lorette’s loved ones deserve some form of closure from her harrowing death.
‘Through our work we continue to see too many families affected by sepsis.
‘Lorette’s death highlights its dangers, the need for everyone to be aware of the symptoms and how early detection and treatment is key to beating it.’
The Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have been contacted for a statement.