A YOUNG mum died two days after suffering a miscarriage as NHS doctors didn’t test her for sepsis.
Lorette Divers, 30, passed away at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, after she miscarried at 12 weeks.
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She went to the hospital after suffering from stomach pain and a high temperature before being transferred to a gynaecology ward.
A midwife considered Lorette could have sepsis and needed to be seen by a doctor but she was never assessed.
She had a procedure to remove foetal material but had to be resuscitated.
Lorette was found unresponsive afterwards and was taken for emergency surgery.
But the mum-of-two suffered a cardiac arrest and died just after 6pm on November 20, 2020 – just nine hours after being admitted.
It is believed that as a result of miscarrying she developed an infection which led to sepsis.
The Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust admitted a breach of duty and several failings in her care.
They also failed to suspect she had sepsis, administer intravenous antibiotics and arrange a blood test.
Lorette’s heartbroken mum Maxine said: “We still have concerns about what happened to Lorette and whether the hospital trust has actually learned from Lorette’s death.
“These concerns are compounded by the Care Quality Commission saying that services require improvement.
“It’s too late for Lorette but by speaking out we hope we can highlight the human cost of issues with care so others don’t have to go through what we have.
“Before Lorette’s death we’d heard of sepsis but had no idea how devastating it is.
“I wouldn’t wish the pain our family continues to experience on anyone.”
Maxine also paid tribute to her daughter, describing her as a “truly wonderful mum” who was so proud of her two children.
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She said: “Lorette was a truly wonderful mum and daughter whose death has left a huge void in all our lives.
“We were all overjoyed and excited when she told us she was expecting again.
“It almost still doesn’t seem real that what should have been such a happy time ended so tragically.
“I don’t think we’ll ever get over losing Lorette in the way we did.
I wouldn’t wish the pain our family continues to experience on anyone.
Lorette’s mum Maxine
“It’s hard to not feel angry that I’ve lost my beautiful daughter, Jahred his soulmate and the kids their amazing mum.
“We’ll always make sure that Lorette’s children will know about their mum, how much she loved them and how proud she was of them.
“But it’s not the same as having her in their lives.”
The Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have been contacted for a statement.
Sepsis – the facts
- There are 47 to 50million cases of sepsis every year worldwide
- At least 11million people die from sepsis annually
- One in five deaths globally is associated with sepsis
- As many as 40 per cent of cases are in children under the age of five
- Sepsis is the number one cause of death in hospitals
- It is also the most common reason for hospital admission
- Up to 50 per cent of all sepsis survivors suffer from long-term physical or psychological effects
Source: Stop Sepsis Save Lives