Boy, 4, died of sepsis after "rude" 111 call handler failed to tell mother to take him to hospital

Sherry Keane, 28, rang the health advice line in a panic after her son Jaydan-Lee fell ill  - Triangle News/Triangle News
Sherry Keane, 28, rang the health advice line in a panic after her son Jaydan-Lee fell ill - Triangle News/Triangle News

A FOUR-YEAR-OLD boy died of sepsis after a "rude" 111 call handler failed to tell his mother to take him to hospital or send an ambulance to his home.

Sherry Keane, 28, rang the health advice line in a panic after her son Jaydan-Lee developed a rash, vomited, appeared lethargic and began gasping for breath.

But she put him to bed with calpol after claiming the "rude" worker failed to realise how seriously ill he was, talked over her and didn't call an ambulance to respond.

Paramedics rushed Jaydan-Lee to hospital when he was found unresponsive the next day. He was given CPR and taken to Aintree University Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

A post-mortem revealed he died of meningococcal septicaemia. An investigation later found Jaydan-Lee would have likely survived if an ambulance had been dispatched by the 111 handler.

At an inquest into his death, the coroner said: "During this consultation, the adviser failed to identity, explore and action several red flags. She failed to probe and access the information required in order to complete a proper assessment. It was quite evident the adviser did not listen and question effectively."

The finding was supported by an internal investigation ordered by the NHS trust. A narrative verdict was recorded.

Mrs Keane, from Liverpool, sued North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust for medical negligence and received £15,000 compensation when they admitted liability.

Jaydan-Lee died because of the advice given on the 111 call - Triangle News/Traingle News
Jaydan-Lee died because of the advice given on the 111 call - Triangle News/Traingle News

But it has emerged the 111 handler, who was not medically trained, has kept her job and was paid while she was given extra training.

Mrs Keane hit out at the decision to not dismiss the call handler, saying: "It's disgusting that she has been given a second chance.

"My little boy hasn't got a second chance - he's not here because she didn't do her job properly.

"She was rude, and didn't seem to care about my son or his condition. She talked over me, kept interrupting and was dismissive as if she just wanted the call to end.

"I was in a state, totally freaked out and worried about my little boy and her manner made me feel like I was a paranoid mother who shouldn't be wasting her time."

A spokesperson for North West Ambulance Service  said: “Our sincerest condolences go out to Jaydan-Lee’s family, we are so very sorry for their loss.

“Our NHS 111 health advisors receive training for their role and use the nationally recognised NHS Pathways triage system to ensure the right care is given to their patients based on the symptoms they are presenting with.

“A full investigation was undertaken following Jaydan-Lee’s death which did identify areas of learning for the trust and improvements have since been made.

“On this occasion, we fell below the standards that we expect and we are deeply sorry.”