Girl, 5, who died from Strep A waited hours in A&E despite ‘red flag’ symptoms – inquest

A FIVE-YEAR-OLD Nottinghamshire girl who died from Strep A spent more than four hours in A&E despite displaying “red flag” symptoms, an inquest has heard.

Meha Carneiro, from Sutton-inashfield, went into cardiac arrest at King’s Mill Hospital on December 5, 2022, dying shortly afterwards.

She was taken to the hospital’s emergency department (ED) at around 7.40am after being unwell for three days. Staff originally believed Meha had gastroenteritis – inflammation of the stomach and intestines – an inquest into her death at Nottingham Council House heard yesterday.

Dr Osman Mohammed, a registrar who was working at children’s Ward 25, said the plan was to keep her in ED and put her on an oral food challenge – a way of getting fluids into a child to try to prevent them becoming unwell from being dehydrated – with a plan to review her two hours later.

“I had an expectation that her vital signs and fluid intake were being monitored and if either or both of those things worsened she would be escalated,” he told the inquest.

However, Meha had a high heart rate of 177 beats per minute, lethargy and prolonged capillary refill time - the time it takes for colour to return to the skin after it is pressed.

Dr Mohammed said he was not aware of this, contradicting the earlier evidence of a doctor who was working in ED, assistant coroner Elizabeth Didcock said.

“He said he told you those specific observations,” she added, referring to an apparent call at around 1.10pm. Dr Mohammed said he would have moved Meha to resus had he been made aware. “If I got those red flags at that point it would mean that she was in shock or a precollapse patient and I would advise moving her to the resus department,” he said. “She wouldn’t have been able to be treated in ED.”

The doctor recalled going down to see Meha at around 1.30pm.

“Her parents were very upset that she had been waiting to be seen for a long time. They were very worried,” he said.

Dr Mohammed said he decided to take her out of ED “as a priority”, but admitted he did not carry out all the necessary checks before transferring her. On Wednesday, the inquest heard from the parents of Meha, who said a doctor had advised them to take their daughter home.

They said: “He said it was the season for colds and viruses and there were too many patients in the department.”

After being pushed on whether he recalled saying any of this, Dr Mohammed said he could not remember.

Meha’s family said a doctor told them that at around 11.30am. “I can say confidently someone saw her and told her these words,” her grandfather, Michael, told the court. The trust and Dr Mohammed were unable to provide an answer on this.

The inquest heard it was a “very busy shift”, with dozens of parents present with sick children in the department. “I was always trying my best. We can’t make her come back but we can change families’ experiences,” said Dr Mohammed.

The inquest continues.