NHS apologises after ‘loving’ young mother dies from sepsis after being given wrong antibiotics
A young mother died of sepsis after being neglected by NHS staff who gave her the wrong antibiotics, a coroner has ruled.
Aleisha Rochester, 33, a bank cashier from Croydon, died in August 2023, two weeks after undergoing a routine procedure to remove an abscess in her left armpit.
St Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals Trust has apologized after Ms Rochester, who sought help several times as her condition deteriorated, was prescribed antibiotics that did not combat the bacteria causing her infection.
It was also revealed that they had not followed the NHS trust’s own guidelines on the administration of antibiotics, and the inquest found that Ms Rochester would probably have survived if she had been given the correct antibiotics.
Mrs Rochester was described as a “wonderful mummy” to her son Xavier, now eight. Her mother Lorna said: “Aleisha was the most loving, caring and caring girl you could ever ask for.
“The bond between Aleisha and Xavier was evident in every moment they spent together,” adding, “There is a huge void in our family, and the hardest thing to acknowledge and accept is that Xavier will never get to see him grow up and celebrate the milestones in his life.
“We will make sure Xavier knows how much his mother loves him and how proud she will be of him.”
Miss Rochester had the skin condition hidradenitis suppurativa and had undergone a routine procedure at St Thomas’ Hospital on August 5 to remove abscesses in her left armpit and groin.
Less than a week later, he became ill and the wound under his arm became infected. On 13 August he was given a prescription for penicillin-based antibiotics at an out-of-hours GP appointment.
The next day he went to St Helier hospital’s A&E department and was given a dose of flucloxacillin intravenously and then sent home with the plan to return the next day.
On 16 August, Ms Rochester was given further medication “in accordance with hospital regulations”, but her condition worsened and she was admitted to intensive care on 17 August.
At this point, Ms. Rochester was in septic shock and multiple organ failure and had signs of infection in her lungs.
The coroner said: “Despite a maximum antibiotic regimen, intubation, ventilation and intensive medical support, Miss Rochester’s condition continued to deteriorate.
“He had a heart attack in the early morning hours of August 19 and could not be revived.”
Group chief medical officer of St George’s, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals, Dr. Richard Jennings said: “We know we failed Mrs Rochester with tragic consequences by not giving her the correct antibiotics – we are extremely sorry for this and offer our deepest apologies and condolences to her family.
“Unfortunately, we cannot remedy this situation for Ms. Rochester, but we would like to reassure her family that we have learned from Ms. Rochester’s death and have taken many steps to prevent this from happening again.
“We are now providing further training to staff on the rapid recognition of sepsis and have taken measures to ensure antibiotic prescribing is done correctly.”
Medical negligence solicitor Madeline Nugent of Irwin Mitchell, who represented the family, said: “The finding of negligence means that the coroner is satisfied there was a gross failure to provide essential medical care to Aleisha.
“Through our work, we continue to see so many families affected by sepsis.
“Whilst it is already too late for Aleisha and her family, it is now vital that lessons are learned from the failures the investigation identified in her care.”
NHS England has been contacted for comment.
