15-month-old boy died after Countess of Chester Hospital discharge

Olly Stopforth, from Bellemonte Road, Frodsham, was said to have been a lively little boy who loved his food and would greet his mother Laura each morning from his bed with a smile.

But he fell ill in March 2020 with a high temperature, a coarse rash, and grunting with laboured breathing.

A call to the NHS 111 service on Friday, March 20 resulted in an ambulance being called to take Olly to hospital, only for him to be discharged in the early hours of Saturday.

Olly sadly died at home very early on Monday, March 23.

Olly Stopforth. (Image: Family photo.)

A three-day inquest is being held this week at the Cheshire Coroner's Court in Warrington before 10 jurors and coroner for Cheshire Jacqueline Devonish to determine the facts surrounding Olly's death.

A consultant paediatrician fought back tears as she told the jury on the first day of the inquest on January 8 that with hindsight, Olly should have had a more thorough assessment, with blood tests, and been prescribed antibiotics to treat warning signs of sepsis.

Earlier, Laura Stopforth said Olly, her second child, had always been a well baby, except for when he was taken to the Countess in October 2019 amid a concern about his breathing. Olly's older brother Finley had previously been diagnosed with a rare heart condition. Olly was examined and was diagnosed with a viral illness and discharged.

After he had presented with a cold and cough for a few days in March 2020, Olly developed a rash and temperature which rose to 40.1C by the afternoon of Friday, March 20.

An ambulance was alerted and North West Ambulance Service paramedic Lynsey Field rang a 'code red' situation, as Olly's temperature rose to 40.7C, with his heart rate at 202 beats per minute and respiration rate at 60 breaths per minute. Calpol was given to manage the temperature.

Due to increasing Covid restrictions, only one of Olly's parents could accompany him to hospital. His father, Karl Stopforth, went and stayed with him.

He told the inquest Olly was placed on an A&E adult bed and, after an initial assessment with doctors and nurses, they were largely left alone, apart from observations, until 11pm, when they were transferred to the paediatric ward.

Olly was given Calpol, Ibuprofen and Difflam throat spray, and following further observations was discharged from 2.45am on Saturday, with Laura Stopforth collecting Olly and Karl Stopforth from the hospital at 3.30am, where she noticed Olly's mouth was very dry, so put some Vaseline on the lips.

Although Olly remained sleepy over the next couple of days, mum Laura said he had "seemed a little bit better" and was eating yogurt, blueberries and asking for juice, although the rash was still present.

Olly "was not really interested" in tea on Sunday - Mother's Day - and he was put to bed at 6.30pm that evening.

At 12.15am on Monday, March 23, as Karl prepared to get ready for an early shift in his work as a baker, Laura went to Olly's bedroom to see how he was doing.

Wiping away tears, she told the court: "I just knew he had passed away."

Karl called an ambulance while Laura, a trained first aider, began CPR. A first responder arrived and, upon seeing the situation, said "Oh God" and ran up the stairs.

Olly's time of death was officially confirmed at 12.35am. A post-mortem examination found he had two viral infections and a type of bacterial infection.

Olly Stopforth. (Image: Family photo.)

Giving evidence, paramedic Ms Field said her assessment of Olly placed him as a serious case, with poor blood circulation on the hands and particularly the feet, and an extensive rash. She said she suspected sepsis in her handover to hospital staff.

A written question by one of the jurors asked Ms Field if she would have expected the hospital to investigate the rash and for sepsis. She replied: "Yes."

A&E staff nurse at the time Lauren Stanton told the inquest she believed the rash, which was "extremely red" and "shocking" was a sign Olly had scarlet fever, but she could not recall relaying that to doctors.

She accepted, from a question asked by barrister representing the Stopforth family, Vanessa Cashman, that the observation readings for Olly taken remained "abnormal" with, at 8.15pm, a respiratory rate of 49 and a heart rate of 170.

Ms Stanton also said she was "annoyed" at the time it took for Olly to be transferred to the paediatric ward (11pm, having been admitted to A&E at 5.30pm), adding she expected blood tests would have been carried out when he arrived there.

Consultant Alison Timmis said that evening shift, where three children had been admitted to A&E, each with potentially life-threatening conditions, was "extremely unusual", and the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic had led to infection control guidance which was changing daily.

She told the inquest she made rapid initial assessments for all three children to determine if they needed emergency treatment at that point, or if they should be admitted to the paediatric ward. They were "never intended to be full and formal assessments", and her initial assessment was Olly had a viral infection.

Asked by Ms Kashman what more Olly could have displayed for suspected sepsis, given his symptoms and the words of the paramedic, Dr Timmis tearfully said: "I am trying to do my best assessment to be honest."

She added: "I think Olly should definitely have had blood tests in A&E at some point."

Asked by the coroner if Olly would have survived if he had received antibiotics that night, Dr Timmis replied: "Yes, it's very likely he would have done." She added that, with hindsight, he would have been on antibiotics, had blood tests and likely put on IV fluids.

The inquest continues on Tuesday.