Mother given wrong antibiotics died from sepsis

A young mother died from sepsis contributed to by NHS neglect after she was given the wrong antibiotics, a coroner has ruled.

Aleisha Rochester, 33, a bank cashier from Croydon, south London, died two weeks after undergoing a routine procedure to remove an abscess from her left armpit.

She had sought medical help several times for her worsening condition and been prescribed antibiotics - but not ones that could tackle the bacteria causing her infection.

Staff at St Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals also did not follow the NHS trust's own guidelines on administering antibiotics, assistant coroner Sian Reeves said. The trust has apologised.

During an inquest in December, Reeves ruled that Rochester's death had been contributed to by neglect and she would most likely have lived if given the right antibiotics in time.

Rochester left behind a son, Xavier, now aged eight.

Recording her verdict, Reeves said Rochester suffered from the condition hidradenitis suppurativa, which causes abscesses on the skin.

Rochester had undergone a routine day procedure at St Thomas' Hospital on 5 August 2023 to remove abscesses from her left armpit and groin but she became unwell and the wound to her left armpit became infected after 10 August, the coroner said.

After multiple GP and hospital visits, on 15 August antibiotics were prescribed "but not in line with St Helier Hospital's antimicrobial guidelines," the coroner wrote.

She added that the drugs did not provide effective coverage against a Gram-positive organism, which was the most likely pathogen causing the infection.

"Prior to selecting this combination of antibiotics, the surgical team did not consult with the hospital's microbiology team for advice."

On 16 August, another drug was given to Rochester "which was in line with the hospital guidelines" but she deteriorated and was admitted to intensive care on 17 August.

By that time, she was in septic shock with multiple organ failure. There were also signs of infection in her lungs.

"Despite a maximal antibiotics regime, intubation, ventilation and intensive medical support, Rochester continued to deteriorate," the coroner said.

"She suffered a cardiac arrest in the early hours of the morning on 19 August, from which she could not be resuscitated."

The coroner ruled that, on 15 August, Rochester "should have been, but was not prescribed" the right antibiotics and if she had, she most likely would have survived. "Her death was contributed to by neglect," she said.

Rochester's mother Lorna has launched legal action against the trust.

"Aleisha was the most loving, caring and compassionate daughter you could wish for," her mother said.

"She was strong, independent and ambitious, with a vibrant personality and had ambitions of starting her own business.

"Aleshia was an amazing mummy with motherhood coming to her naturally.

"The bond between Aleisha and Xavier was evident in every moment they spent together. There's still not a day goes by when we don't think of Aleisha or miss her.

"There's a huge void in our family and the hardest thing to try and come to terms with is how she'll never get to see Xavier grow up and celebrate milestones in life."

She added: "However, I don't think our family will ever get over the pain of losing Aleisha especially in the way we did.

"All we can hope for now is that by speaking out, we can help improve care for others and raise awareness of how important it is to spot and treat sepsis correctly."

Dr Richard Jennings, group chief medical officer for St George's, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals, said: "We know we failed Ms Rochester by not giving her the correct antibiotics, with tragic consequences - for this we are extremely sorry and offer our deepest apologies and condolences to her family.

"We sadly can't put this right for Ms Rochester, but we would like to assure her family that we have learned from Ms Rochester's death, and we have taken multiple steps to prevent this happening again.

"We are now giving further training to staff on the prompt recognition of sepsis, and have taken measures to make sure antibiotic prescribing is done correctly."

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