Yorkshire mum dies two days after suffering miscarriage as hospital admits failings
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has admitted to failings and a breach of duty in the tragic case of a young mum who died from sepsis two days after suffering a miscarriage.
Lorette Divers, 30, was admitted to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield with stomach pain and a high temperature following her miscarriage at 12 weeks.
Despite being transferred to a gynaecology ward where a midwife suspected she could have sepsis, Lorette was never assessed by a doctor. After undergoing a procedure to remove foetal material, she had to be resuscitated when found unresponsive and was taken for emergency surgery.
Tragically, the mum-of-two suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away just after 6pm on November 20, 2020 - only nine hours after being admitted. It is believed that an infection developed as a result of the miscarriage led to sepsis.
The trust admitted to several failings in her care, including failing to suspect sepsis, administer intravenous antibiotics, and arrange a blood test.
Lorette's heartbroken mother Maxine said: "We still have concerns about what happened to Lorette and whether the hospital trust has actually learned from Lorette’s death."
She added: "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.
READ MORE: Keep up to date with all the latest breaking news and top stories from Hull with our free newsletter
"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.
"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."
Rosie Charlton, a specialist medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell said: "Maxine, Jahred and the rest of the family remain devastated by the incredibly tragic circumstances surrounding Lorette’s death. What’s made things even harder for them to come to terms with is the manner in which the events leading up to Lorette’s death unfolded.
"An inquest into Lorette’s death heard worrying evidence about the level of care she received and how she wasn’t classed as an emergency. Maxine and Jahred continue to have a number of concerns about what happened to Lorette."
"All they want is to ensure is that the issues in Lorette’s care are identified and acknowledged by the trust, and that all lessons are learned so other families don’t have to endure what they have.
"We now call on the trust to work with us to resolve Lorette’s case as quickly as possible. While nothing will makeup for what’s happened, Lorette’s loved ones deserve some form of closure from her harrowing death.
"Through our work we continue to see too many families affected by sepsis. Lorette’s death highlights its dangers, the need for everyone to be aware of the symptoms and how early detection and treatment is key to beating it."
The Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have been contacted for a statement.