Girl, 8, dies from sepsis after GP sends her home with Ibuprofen prescription

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An eight-year-old girl tragically died of sepsis just hours after being sent home twice by a GP who advised her mum to give her fluids and ibuprofen, citing that the hospital would be full. Mia Glynn was taken to a GP surgery twice in four hours and despite showing symptoms of Group Strep A, her parents were told to take her home.

During the second appointment, the young girl was dismissed with antibiotics after being informed that the hospital was full and they would be left waiting in a corridor. Mia's concerned parents Soron, 39, and Katie, 37, initially took her to the GP as she had been vomiting, suffering from a severe headache and complaining of a sore throat.

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By the time of the second visit, she hadn't eaten properly for three days, had an elevated heart rate, reduced urine output and was sleepy. Her worried parents questioned whether she had the infection Group A Strep, which was prevalent at the time.

Despite their concerns, a doctor advised Katie to give Mia fluids and ibuprofen and not to start antibiotics until Mia went to bed. The schoolgirl, who continued to feel unwell, slept in her parents' bed that night but woke up in the early hours of the morning feeling agitated.

Mia, who was disorientated, had rashes on her arms and legs and blue lips, complained she was hot but was cold to touch. Soron and Katie, from Biddulph, Staffs called an ambulance and paramedics rushed Mia to hospital where she was given intravenous fluids and antibiotics.

Tragedy struck as a woman, shortly after arriving at the hospital with suspected septic shock, suffered a cardiac arrest and unfortunately passed away around 20 minutes later. The cause of death was confirmed as sepsis resulting from a Group A Strep infection.

In the wake of this tragedy, Soron and Katie, who also have a son named Beau, aged 12, sought the help of expert medical negligence lawyers to look into the care their daughter received and to find answers.

The couple has now come forward to express the immense grief they feel after losing their "beautiful" daughter in such sudden circumstances.

Katie, working as a self-employed hairdresser, shared: "Our world and hearts broke forever when our beautiful daughter was snatched away from us."

"Mia had been taken to the doctors twice to be told her symptoms were viral. Around 15 hours later she died of sepsis."

"The unbelievable and unbearable pain we feel is unexplainable and unimaginable."

"Our beautiful healthy girl was the happiest, brightest, most loving and caring girl who smiled, danced, brought joy and love to everyone she met.

"She brought so much laughter and fun."

To honour Mia's memory, more than £40,000 has been raised through various activities like sponsored runs and contributions from local businesses.

The family has made a significant contribution of over £16,000 to the UK Sepsis Trust from these funds. Additionally, Soron and Katie have created a charitable body called aiM - an anagram of Mia - as a tribute to their daughter.

This year, they hosted a summer family and music extravaganza the aiM Festival. Following its success in raising over £21,000, plans are afoot to bring the festival back next year.

Katie remarked: "We'll never get over the pain of losing Mia especially in the way we did."

"Our family will never be the same without Mia. She had her whole life ahead of her and was taken from us in the cruelest way imaginable."

"That she will never get to mark life's milestones such as passing her exams, getting married and starting work is something that will live with us forever."

"When we took Mia to the surgery we queried whether she needed urgent treatment. We're now left wondering whether more could have been done to help Mia."

"Our hearts hurts every second since Mia's heart stopped. But we will always make sure Mia will be remembered in the most special way."

Soron, who teaches engineering added: "Seeing Mia in her final moments was awful."

"We feel so blessed that she was our daughter but are completely heartbroken that Mia was taken from us so soon."

"A lot of people may have heard of sepsis but it's only after what happened to Mia that we realise just how dangerous it is.

"We started researching and reading more about it and it was clear to us that Mia had red flag symptoms of sepsis but we weren't told to take her to hospital.

"It's the sad reality that there are families out there, like us, that are suffering from loss due to sepsis, this has to change.

"We need to educate the public and health professionals to identify the signs of sepsis and ask the question 'could it be sepsis? '."

Mia started experiencing a sore throat on 5 December 2022. Her condition worsened, leading her parents to take her to a GP practice at around 8:30 am on 8 December, where a nurse practitioner deemed Mia's symptoms to be viral, advising fluids and paracetamol.

Despite a return visit to the surgery just after midday and an examination by a GP, Mia and her mum were sent home. In the early hours of 9 December 2022, after calling an ambulance shortly after 3 am, Mia tragically passed away that morning.

The family's lawyer, Victoria Zinzan of Irwin Mitchell, stated: "Mia was a cherished daughter and sister whose death has had a devastating impact on her family."

She emphasized that "Understandably her loved ones continue to have a number of concerns about her death and the circumstances surrounding it."

Highlighting the severity of the issue, Victoria added: "Sadly through our work we see too many families affected by sepsis; with Mia's death vividly highlighting the dangers of the condition."

Underlining the importance of vigilance, she mentioned: "Early diagnosis and treatment is key to beating sepsis, therefore it's vital people know what signs to look out for when it comes to detecting this incredibly dangerous and life-threatening condition."

Information on the aiM Charity can be found here.