Baby boy died hours after he was sent home from hospital with ‘tonsilitis’ as parents call for ‘lessons to be learnt’
THE PARENTS of a nine-month-old baby who died after a misdiagnosis hope the tragedy will help save other lives.
Lucas Thomas Munslow, from Flint, Wales, was discharged from hospital with what doctors thought was tonsilitis.
Later that same day, he passed away from acute bacterial meningitis.
By the time the little boy was rushed back to hospital, after suffering a seizure in his mother’s arms, it was too late.
A recent inquest found Lucas’ death was probably preventable. His parents Kim and Nathan took legal action against the health board and are awaiting compensation.
Mother of four Kim, 39, from Flint, says: “Lucas was a happy, smiley, little boy, he was our first child and we loved him so much.
“To add to our agony, after he died, we had to be interviewed by police and our home was searched. They took Lucas’ favourite blanket, and it felt like a violation.
“I was heavily pregnant and gave birth to our second son just two months later; we welcomed a new life, yet we were still grieving for Lucas.
“We recently had a third son and he looked so much like Lucas that at first, I was frightened to bond with him. I could not let myself love him, in case he too, was snatched away.
“We trusted the doctors with Lucas, and they let us down in the worst way possible. It took five years for the hospital to admit they were wrong. Even now, we have not had an apology.
“Our hope is that lessons will be learned, and lives will be saved.”
Lucas was the couple’s first child and was a happy and healthy baby. Kim had previously been diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and had been warned she would struggle to have children.
Nathan, 40, says: “We’d resigned ourselves to maybe never being parents and so Lucas was our little miracle. He was an absolute joy. He loved his food, especially ice-cream.”
But on May 14, 2019, he became unwell with a high temperature and vomiting.
Their GP diagnosed a viral infection and prescribed rehydration sachets. But Lucas gradually deteriorated and on May 17, his parents took him to Glan Clwyd hospital.
I felt slightly fobbed off, I was worried. But I was also reassured by the doctors. I trusted them
Kim Munslow
Kim says: “He was burning up, yet his hands and feet were cold. He was lethargic, he had little appetite, and his eye was turning in. He was clinging to us as if he was frightened.
“We were assessed before being taken to a tiny treatment room without a window. We waited for around two hours before two doctors checked him over and sent us home around 1am with a throat spray to treat tonsilitis.
“I felt slightly fobbed off, I was worried. But I was also reassured by the doctors. I trusted them.”
Later that same day, Lucas suffered a major seizure in his mother’s arms. He was rushed back to hospital where doctors battled to revive him.
Nathan says: “We cannot fault the paramedics or the team who tried to save him. The doctor told us he suspected meningitis, but it was too late to save him.”
The couple’s agony was intensified when police seized their house keys and refused to allow them access until they had conducted a search.
Kim says: “We were interviewed by police at the hospital and our home was trashed. Lucas’s favourite blue Giraffe blanket was gone, they had been through our bin to take his nappies, they’d taken his bottles and milk.”
A postmortem confirmed Lucas had died from acute bacterial meningitis.
Nathan says: “We felt so angry he wasn’t diagnosed earlier. We made a complaint to the hospital, but they refused to accept responsibility.”
The couple’s second son, Louis, now four, was born two months later. They have since had a third son, Lloyd, aged two and a half, and a daughter, Lacey, aged eight weeks.
Kim says: “Each new arrival is bittersweet. Lloyd’s birth was traumatic because he looked so much like Lucas, I was frightened to bond with him.”
‘POOR PRACTICE’
An inquest at Ruthin Coroners Court in November 2023 heard Lucas was categorised in hospital as a yellow case to be seen in an hour, rather than orange, to be seen in 10 minutes.
Nurse practitioner Carol Stevenson noted he was “stiff and vacant” and had a squint in the waiting room.
An on-call doctor Kayode-Awe Olugbemiga diagnosed tonsillitis after noticing a red throat.
Dr Olugbemiga said there were no “red flags” that anything else was wrong with him and his senior Dr Solabomi Alalade also examined Lucas before discharging him.
He was released at 1am on May 18 but his parents called 999 at around 6.30pm the same day after he suffered a seizure. He died in hospital soon after.
John Gittins, senior coroner for North Wales East and Central, said “poor practice” had been exhibited by staff, and it is “probable” that Lucas’ death could have been prevented.
Mr Gittins recorded a narrative conclusion.
The family has now accepted compensation from the health board.
Kim says: “The money is an insult, but we don’t want to fight this anymore. Nothing will bring him back. We read the apology in the local paper, but nobody has apologised to us personally. We haven’t even had a letter through the post.
“We hope lessons can be learned from Lucas’ death. We hope to raise awareness of meningitis and we would like all medical staff to appreciate how important it is to conduct a thorough examination and to listen to parents.
“We talk about Lucas every day, he lives on through his two brothers and his sister. But we miss him every day.”
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB)’s executive medical director, Dr Nick Lyons, said: “Firstly, I would like to offer my sincere and heartfelt condolences to Lucas’ parents and wider family, on behalf of the health board.
“We accept the coroner’s findings unreservedly and have already reviewed the circumstances surrounding Lucas’s treatment and identified where we can improve our diagnostic procedures in extremely rare cases such as this.
“However, we will look closely at the coroner’s comments from his finding of fact, to see if there are additional areas of learning which will help patients in the future.”
Types of meningitis
MENINGITIS, which is spread through coughing, sneezing and kissing, affected around 8,000 people in the UK every year before Covid.
This number has since decreased, but it remains a “global public health challenge”, according to the World Health Organization.
A 2019 study found there were 2.82million cases internationally in 2016, with 236,000 deaths.
Around 112,000 of these were reportedly in children under five.
While everyone is at risk, it is more common in babies, kids, teenagers, young adults, older people and those with weakened immune systems.
There are two main types – viral and bacterial.
Several different viruses and bacteria can cause meningitis, including:
- Meningococcal bacteria – A, B, C, W, X, Y and Z
- Pneumococcal bacteria
- Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) bacteria
- Enteroviruses
- The mumps virus
- The herpes simplex virus
Vaccines are available to protect against many of these infections.