Woman's sepsis death 'could have been prevented'

A coroner's report has called for changes to be made at a hospital trust, after an inquest heard a woman's death could have been prevented if her sepsis was diagnosed and treated sooner.

Dhananji Denawakage Dona was admitted to the Royal Stoke University Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent while pregnant, and had noticed bleeding and was suffering from abdominal pain.

Emma Serrano, area coroner for Staffordshire, said in her report that Dona was suffering from sepsis as well as miscarrying, adding that there was a delay in her assessment in A&E and a sepsis screening tool was not used.

University Hospitals of North Midlands, which runs the hospital, has been contacted for comment.

The coroner's report said Dona died on 2 October 2024, after her condition worsened.

"Although the specialist National Early Warning Score matrix for prenatal women, should be used within the whole of the hospital, it still was not, and there were no plans to introduce this within a reasonable timescale," it said.

Serrano added that it was her opinion that action should be taken to prevent future deaths.

The hospital trust is due to respond to the report's findings by 18 March.

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