Coroner concludes neglect after teen died following brief hospital admission

The inquest into the death of 13-year-old Chloe Longster has concluded that the tragic loss of life was avoidable and was contributed to by neglect and a series of failures.

Assistant coroner Sophie Lomas accepted that Chloe might have survived had she received appropriate treatment earlier.

‘Perfectly healthy’ Chloe was admitted to Skylark ward at Kettering General Hospital (KGH), Northamptonshire, in November 2022 after suffering from severe pain in her lower rib and cold-like symptoms. 

During her 18.5-hour stay, Chloe was diagnosed with pneumonia and multiple failures in care and communication led to her devastating death. Chloe's condition rapidly deteriorated, and due to delays, mistakes, and inaction, she succumbed to sepsis on 29 November 2022.

Her mother Louise Longster said he felt she had to "convince" staff her daughter was seriously ill. She was heartbroken at hearing her daughter ask if she was going to die. 

The five-day inquest heard at Northampton Coroners Court heard that parents Louise and Dave were not informed of Chloe's sepsis screening, or that she had not been given antibiotics. The inquest also heard a routine check was missed and Chloe waited hours for intubation, despite a registrar noting she needed more oxygen.

Delivering her findings, Ms Lomas described several missed opportunities and a "series of shortcomings" which "lead me to record that Chloe’s death was contributed to by neglect".

Representing the family, Managing Associate in the clinical negligence team at Freeths Gemma Bedford, said that lessons must be learned following Chloe’s death.

She stated: “The coroner’s verdict of neglect has been long awaited for Chloe’s family. Whilst heartbreaking to accept that her death could have been avoided, we hope that the Trust can now learn from the identified failings and that no other family must endure the same tragedy."

“At Freeths, we’re proud to have represented Louise and her husband throughout this agonising ordeal and hopefully they can find strength through the justice which has been delivered today.”

Reflecting on the inquest, Louise Longster added: “Managing the case for Chloe has been incredibly complex. Throughout the case, Gemma has offered vital support, kept us updated, taking time to explain information and steady us. Having a calm and considered approach, drawing in the correct expertise and at the right time, we believe significantly contributed to the correct outcome."

“Gemma appreciates the pain we feel and the impact of losing our precious daughter has had on us emotionally, she has never made us feel unreasonable. We couldn't have got through this dreadful time without Gemma and Freeths.”