Family And Legal Experts Make Plea On World Sepsis Day

The wife of a Loughborough man who died of sepsis days after both a GP and a walk-in centre said he was suffering from a stomach bug, is calling for more to be done to help medical experts spot the warning signs of the illness.

Father-of-one Daniel Snary died aged 41 in September 2016, three days after he attended a GP appointment complaining of symptoms including a fever, diarrhoea and vomiting. Despite his history of congenital heart problems, he was diagnosed with viral gastroenteritis.

The next day he attended the Loughborough Urgent Care Centre where a nurse relied on the same conclusion. However, on the morning of 12 September he was taken by ambulance to hospital after trouble with his breathing. He died a few hours later from sepsis, a condition which emerges when the body’s response to an infection affects its own tissue and organs.

Following Daniel’s death, his family instructed specialist medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to examine his case and whether more could have been done to help him before his admission to hospital. As work on his case continues, his loved ones are now using the second anniversary of Daniel’s death and World Sepsis Day on 13 September to raise awareness of the dangers of sepsis.

Expert Opinion

“This is a truly devastating case which has left Kay without a loving husband and Calum without his father.

“Through our work, we have seen on numerous occasions the terrible impact that sepsis can have people. We are now investigating the care that Daniel received in the lead up to his death.

“World Sepsis Day is an important time to highlight this issue and also continue the fight for education and awareness.” Sinead Rollinson-Hayes - Associate Solicitor Advocate

Daniel, who worked for a bespoke gaming company, had been married to Kay, 41, an office manager, for 16 years. The couple had been together for 23 years and had a son, 17-year-old Calum.

He had a history of heart problems, including congenital heart defect and in 2012 was diagnosed with infective endocarditis in May 2012 which was successfully treated.

Daniel visited his GP surgery on Friday, 9 September, 2016, for a consultation. The following morning he attended the out of hours service at Loughborough Urgent Care Centre as his condition was deteriorating. He was suffering from rigors, increasing fever and hot and cold flushes. At around 6.20am on the Monday morning Kay contacted the NHS 111 helpline saying her husband’s condition had worsened.

An ambulance was called. However, Daniel died in hospital later that morning.

Derbyshire Health United, responsible for out of hours GP services, conducted an internal investigation. It concluded that while it was difficult to identify a sole root cause for Daniel’s death, factors which may have contributed included issues with the sharing of medical records, his GP’s consideration of his medical history and the walk-in centre nurse relying on the GP’s diagnosis.

Kay said: “It is hard to believe that it is two years since Daniel died and the entire family still misses him so much. The circumstances surrounding his death have made it much harder, particularly as we were so concerned that something was not right with him in the days before he passed.

“No one should have to go through what we have faced. Our family now just hope others realise how dangerous sepsis can be and how important it is to be aware of the possible signs of the condition.”
 
World Sepsis Day, is September 13 the day after Daniel passed away. The day aims to promise awareness of sepsis, which is a life threatening condition that arises when the body’s response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs. Sepsis leads to shock, multiple organ failure and, potentially, death especially if not recognised early and treated promptly.

For more information visit the UK Sepsis Trust website at www.sepsistrust.org

Read more about Irwin Mitchell's expertise in handling medical negligence cases.