‘She was let down’: Family of schoolgirl, 12, open up on five years of ‘torture’
THE family of a ‘beautiful’ schoolgirl who suffered a fatal stroke say their lives have been ‘torture’ during a prolonged battle for answers over her death.
It comes as a hospital apologised after a coroner highlighted ‘failings’ in the care of 12-year-old Victoria Olabode, but her family vowed to appeal his ruling that there was ‘insufficient evidence’ that a three-day delay in carrying out a brain scan contributed to her death.
Victoria, who had Sickle Cell disease, was transferred to the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital (RMCH) on July 2, 2019, Three days after her admission to the city centre hospital, on July 5, she suddenly developed a ‘severe’ headache and began vomiting.
She was treated for her pain and discomfort but her mother had ‘persistently’ asked for a CT scan to be carried out the inquest had been told. Yet this was not done until July 8, when Victoria suffered a ‘prolonged seizure.’
She suffered a second seizure later that day and was afterwards admitted to the hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit where it was found she had suffered an ischaemic brain injury. She was deemed to be brain dead on July 12 and three days later her ventilation was withdrawn leading to her death.
Concluding an inquest into her death, which heard six days of evidence, Area Coroner Zak Golombeck said he had found it was a ‘failure’ that a CT or MRI scan was not carried out on July 5 or 6 ‘when it was clear that Victoria was suffering serious neurological symptomatology.’
However, he said that had a scan or scans been carried out at that time, it ‘would not have conclusively confirmed subarachnoid blood’, the medical term for a type of stroke caused by bleeding on the surface of the brain, as the CT and MRI scans carried out two days later didn’t do so either.
He described the protocol for the MRI scan as ‘sub-optimal’ and said that ‘this too was a failure in the care.’ However, he said: “On the balance of the evidence following my analysis, I find that there is insufficient evidence to cross the threshold beyond speculation that Victoria’s death would have been avoidable with earlier imaging on July 6, 2019.”
He added: “Whilst I have found failures in her care, none of these failures more than minimally contributed to her death on the balance of probabilities.” He recorded that she died as a result of natural causes.
There were angry scenes in court as Mr Golombeck delivered his conclusion. As he said her death was the result of a ‘naturally occurring illness’, Victoria’s mother Elizabeth Olabode stood up and began screaming ‘no’ and ‘she never died of natural causes’.
Despite requests for her to calm down, she continued to shout with items including jugs of water being knocked from the desks in the courtroom. Her husband Victor then joined the loud protests which saw staff and others flood the room as proceedings were halted.
Police officers were called in and Mr and Mrs Olabode were escorted from the courtroom. The hearing later resumed with Mr Olabode present.
Mr Golombeck said: “As a matter of law, the factual circumstances of Victoria’s death fits squarely within the legal definition of ‘Natural Causes’, and therefore I will return this as a short-form conclusion.
“I am conscious that the totality of my findings will not be readily accepted by Victoria’s family, to whom I pay the utmost respect for their fight for justice over the past nearly five years.”
However Victor Olabode, Victoria’s father, who spoke outside court with his son, Victoria’s now 16 year-old twin brother, also called Victor, said the family, from Rochdale, were ‘disappointed’ but ‘weren’t ready to give up the fight.’
“They have wasted our time, as a family. But the fight for justice continues” he said. They should be ready. We are going to take it further.
“Definitely, we are going to appeal. It is our right. And justice is what we need now. Victoria is the most beautiful thing that has ever happened to us.
“And we definitely won’t let go until we get justice for her.”
Asked what the last five years had been like, Victoria’s brother Victor said: “It’s been long, because they have extended it countless times. It’s been unfair. It’s been torture.
“We don’t think she should be with us now, we know she should. We won’t give up the fight until we’re satisfied with the outcome. We know she has been let down by RMCH. RMCH know themselves that they have let us down. “
In a statement issued following the hearing, Miss Toli Onon, Joint Group Chief Medical Officer for the Manchester University NHS Foundation
Trust (MFT), which runs RMCH said: “We wish again to extend our condolences and deepest sympathies to Victoria’s family.
“The Trust has undertaken a thorough investigation to examine the circumstances following Victoria’s very sad death nearly five years ago, and we apologise again for where our care has fallen short of the high standards to which we aspire.
“The Trust is grateful to the Coroner for the care and diligence he has taken in relation to this Inquest, which concluded today with a conclusion of natural causes. We have taken steps to ensure the learning from Victoria’s death has been shared within the Trust.”