Derbyshire teenager's death prompts hospital apology

A teenager who died from an undiagnosed heart infection should have had better care, hospital bosses have admitted.

Daniel Elton, 18, died in November 2015 at home in Castle Gresley, after he was released from hospital the day before.

Despite seeing GPs and other medical staff he was not diagnosed with the bacterial heart infection that killed him, Derby Coroners Court heard.

The trust which runs Queen's Hospital, Burton-upon-Trent, has issued an apology.

The inquest heard it was likely a tooth extraction, during Mr Elton's visit to the dentist in April 2015, had caused endocarditis.

However, doctors had been focusing on a gastroenterological cause for his symptoms.

Daniel died in November 2015, 24 hours after being discharged from hospital.

Assistant coroner Louise Pinder, who recorded a narrative conclusion, said "there was a gross failure to provide medical attention for Daniel, who was clearly in a dependent position, given the fact that he was critically unwell".

However, she added that even if he had been diagnosed with endocarditis at the time, "it was too late".

She highlighted Mr Elton's GPs "did not make an early diagnosis" but were acting on the "information available to them at the time".

Julian Elton, Daniel's father, said: "Daniel was a kind, loving, caring son, brother and uncle.

"He bravely fought over his last seven months, they were all looking in the wrong place to diagnose his condition, he was fighting a losing battle until his life ended on the 7 November 2015."

The Burton NHS Foundation Trust said Mr Elton's care before his death was not to the standards patients and families expect.

"The trust would like to apologise to Daniel's family for the way in which Daniel was discharged the day before his death," it said.

It added that a number of changes had been made to the way patients were discharged.

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