Martha Doctor's Failings 'particularly Grave'

The failings of a expert responsible for Martha Mills' care, who died from sepsis, amounted to "gross negligence" and were "particularly grave", a aesculapian tribunal says.

Her decease gave emergence to Martha's Rule successful hundreds of hospitals successful England, making it easier for parents to inquire doctors for an urgent 2nd opinion.

The tribunal recovered advisor Prof Richard Thompson grounded to admit really earnestly sick 13-year-old Martha had go successful nan summertime of 2021, pursuing a motorcycle accident.

On nan important afternoon, he did not analyse her successful personification aliases nonstop her to intensive care.

The tribunal concluded Prof Thompson's fittingness to practise was impaired, but decided to return nary further action against nan doctor.

Martha was transferred to King's College Hospital successful London successful 2021, 1 of 3 master curen centres successful nan UK, aft a vacation motorcycle mishap near her pinch superior injuries to her pancreas.

During a family holiday, she had skidded connected immoderate soil while cycling and fell heavy onto nan handlebars.

Her parents, Merope Mills and Paul Laity, wrote astir their symptom and anger complete their daughter's curen pursuing her death.

"It was a difficult, tricky injury, but it did not person to beryllium a fatal one," Merope has said.

Martha stayed successful nan infirmary for nan adjacent month.

After a fewer weeks, she developed an infection and past signs of sepsis - erstwhile nan body's consequence to an infection is overwhelming and ends up injuring its ain tissues and organs - but this was not managed properly.

An inquest recovered that she could person survived her injuries if she'd been referred to nan master children's intensive attraction successful nan infirmary promptly, and received amended care.

Interviewed connected BBC Radio 4's Today programme successful 2023, Merope Mills said her family were not listened to by elder doctors connected respective occasions and were "not fixed nan afloat picture" astir Martha's deteriorating condition.

Over nan past fewer weeks, nan Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service has heard allegations from nan doctors' regulator, nan General Medical Council (GMC), that Prof Thompson grounded connected respective counts complete his attraction of Martha.

He was nan advisor connected telephone connected her ward connected Sunday 29 August 2021 - 2 days earlier she died.

The tribunal said it was "evident" that by astir 17:00 that time Martha had "several precocious consequence indicators" including her bosom rate, breathing and a rising temperature, which "indicated a abrupt and important deterioration".

It said Martha's condition, which included a caller rash, justified her being moved to intensive attraction but "this opportunity was not taken".

Later that evening, Prof Thompson was called astatine location by a workfellow astir Martha's continued fever. He had already seen her connected his greeting ward round, but did not return to nan infirmary to analyse her successful person.

Giving evidence, Prof Thompson he said that he felt "deep remorse" for Martha's death, but did not judge he had made errors successful nan case.

He said 1 of nan reasons he wanted to support Martha connected his ward was not to distress her parents, but nan tribunal said this did not warrant withholding aliases delaying her move to intensive care.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service concluded that his fittingness to practise had been impaired.

It said this would reassure nan nationalist and nonstop a connection to doctors astir nan value of pursuing nan basal principles of bully care.

The GMC had based on that Prof Thompson should beryllium suspended from objective believe but nan tribunal said he would look nary disciplinary penalty.

Tribunal president Robin Ince said Prof Thompson had done "everything imaginable to reside his failings" and a "stain connected his reputation" would stay for nan remainder of his life.

"The tribunal considered that nan champion measurement to repair immoderate harm caused by his failings would beryllium for him to proceed to supply his master expertise astatine location and abroad," he added.

Martha's parents raised concerns astir their daughter's attraction to nan regulator, nan GMC, successful 2022.

Responding to nan tribunal's findings Martha's parents said: "It is important to america that allegations denied person been recovered proved and nan gravity of mistakes that led to our daughter's preventable decease has been recognised.

"King's College hospital's ain study into Martha's decease made it clear that nan high-status consultants connected her ward had a mediocre narration pinch paediatric intensive care, which helps to explicate why Martha wasn't referred location when, arsenic each master has agreed, she should person been.

"We will ne'er understand why knowledgeable doctors, pinch elevated reputations, took specified a large consequence pinch her life."

The infirmary that looked aft Martha has admitted mistakes were made, and nan spot said antecedently successful a connection that it "remains profoundly sorry that we grounded Martha erstwhile she needed america most".