Lack of blood specialists may put lives at risk, warns coroner
A NATIONAL shortage of haematologists could have fatal results, a coroner has warned after an inquest into the death of a 14-year-old girl.
Katie Wilkins, from Warrington, Cheshire, died at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool on July 31 2020.
She had visited Warrington Hospital several times that month before she collapsed at home on July 26.
She was transferred to Alder Hey where she was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukaemia and associated bleeding disorder coagulopathy. She suffered an intracerebral haemorrhage on July 29 and she was pronounced dead two days later.
At an inquest last year, concerns were raised that Katie’s treatment for the coagulopathy was led by an oncology consultant.
Kate Ainge, the assistant coroner for Liverpool and Wirral, said it should have been led by a haematologist, a blood disorder specialist, but that a national shortage in this field meant Alder Hey could not ensure that one was available. In a prevention of future deaths report published this week, Ms Ainge explicitly states that action needs to be taken to address the continuing shortage of haematologists.
She wrote: “The inquest has highlighted an ongoing concern that oncology consultants will continue to be the lead consultants for care of APML patients at Alder Hey Trust.
“The most significant risk of death in such patients is due to the risk of serious bleeding due to the associated and significant coagulopathy. Coagulopathy management should be led by a haematologist to prevent future deaths.”
Ms Ainge’s report has been sent to both Alder Hey and to the Department for Health and Social Care.
A response from Will Quince, the health minister, said that Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust had “identified a number of areas for improvement”.
A spokesman for Alder Hey said it had introduced new measures to ensure “events like this will not happen again”.