Inquest into Ward Alshammary's death finds doctors could have saved her if they spotted how unwell she was earlier

Little Ward Alshammary had been taken to hospital by her worried father who was concerned that she was covered in an irritable rash and had a sore throat.

But the youngster was examined and given an anti-histamine drug before being sent home by medics who said she had a virus and would be well enough to mix with other children at school.

Two days later she was rushed back to hospital, her condition having rapidly deteriorated and she died a short time later – shortly after kissing her crying father.

The inquest heard how when she was admitted, Ward was severely dehydrated having not eaten or drunk for two days.

The rash had also spread to her mouth and she was coughing and complaining of pain in her lung.

It later transpired she had bronchial pneumonia and doctors were unaware she had a major infection in the cavity between her lungs and chest wall.

The inquest heard how Ward was taken straight to a high-dependency unit at the Tremona Road site and senior paediatric consultant Dr Peter Wilson was called into hospital by concerned staff.

But as doctors prepared to move her to paediatric intensive care and give her medication to tackle the bacterial infection, Ward suffered a cardiac arrest.

This is thought to have been brought on by a flood of toxins into her system and she died in the early hours of January 22 having suffered septic shock.

The inquest heard how moments before she died, Ward had given her dad a kiss and asked him why he was crying.

Lawyers representing the Alshammary family at her inquest, questioned if the little girl may have survived had she been admitted directly to intensive care rather than time being lost at the high dependency unit.

But coroner Grahame Short said whether that would have made a difference and prevented her death was something that would never be known.

In evidence, Ward’s father said in a statement that when he had first taken his daughter to A&E he had been told by a first year trainee consultant that she would recover within three days.

He said: “The doctor said it was a normal rash and not contagious. She told me she would be okay to go back to school and be around other children.”

Recording a verdict of death by natural causes, coroner Grahame Short said that the “failure to recognise Ward’s deteriorating condition” caused “a delay in the initial amount of immediate treatment”.

He said: “With the benefit of hindsight we now know there have been failings in individual decisions which, if they had been different, might have prevented the tragic outcome in this case.”

He added that he thought an additional infection in the child’s lung lining, which clinicians were unaware of at the time, may have been “highly-relevant” to her sudden, rapid deterioration.

Mr Short said: “The central issue in this case is whether it would have made any difference if her true medical condition had been recognised sooner.

“It may well have been different if she had been moved to the paediatric intensive care unit and she was treated sooner, but I don’t know that – and I don’t believe that we’ll ever know.”

Speaking after the inquest, Juliet Pearce, patient safety manager at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our thoughts and sympathies remain with Ward’s family at what continues to be a very difficult time for them.

“As reported at the inquest hearing, Ward was assessed appropriately in our emergency department and the circumstances surrounding her death, although extremely sad and distressing, could not have been predicted.

“We hope the coroner’s determination will help to give her family a better understanding of the difficulties her condition presented and we offer them our full support as they continue to come to terms with their loss."

THE inquest heard how an internal investigation carried out by Southampton General Hospital into Ward’s death concluded that there had been failings.

It sais doctors had not appreciated the gravity of her condition in the final hours of her life, the court was told.

Giving evidence, paediatric consultant Dr Jason Barling was asked if she would have already contracted pneumonia three days before her death on her first hospital visit.

He admitted it was not known and said: “It could have been present at the time, but it could not have been present until 24 hours later."

Dr Barling told the hearing that since Ward’s death there had been briefings across the NHS region and there was now increased awareness of how to manage Sepsis in children when they were hospitalised.

SHE was the little girl who had big dreams of becoming a paediatrician when she grew up.

Ward Alshammary even made the point of telling the doctors and nurses of her chosen career as they checked her over and treated her on admission to hospital the first time.

Today her devastated parents told how their lives had been turned upside down by Ward’s death, having never believed they would come home from hospital without her.

Speaking to the Daily Echo, her dad Badr Alshammary and mum Feraihah, who lived in Wessex Lane, Swaythling, at the time, said they now hoped knowledge would prevent similar deaths in the future.

They said: “We were incredibly close to our daughter Ward.

“Although she was only five years old, she cared for us, as much as we cared for her.

She loved her siblings and all of her friends at school. Ward loved going to school and she loved her teachers.

“When she grew up she wanted to be a paediatrician - she even told the doctor at the hospital on 19th January 2013 that was what she wanted to be.

“After that first visit to the hospital, we thought she would be fine. Even on 21 January 2013, we did not expect to leave the hospital without our daughter.

“Ward’s death has affected our lives significantly: our family life, our studies, every day, even walking down the street.

“We know that nothing can bring Ward back but we hope that knowledge of the circumstances in which Ward died, which we now understand in more detail, can prevent similar deaths in the future.”