21.03.19
Infant death sparks national investigation from Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch
A national investigation into NHS staff’s ability to recognise seriously ill and deteriorating infants has been launched following the death of a three-month-old infant died hours after being discharged from hospital.
The Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) has launched the investigation “regarding the recognition of the acutely ill infant” after it was notified about the death of a three-month-old.
The safety investigation body said the baby was admitted into a hospital but was discharged four hours later.
The infant was brought back to hospital less than four hours later and died from Meningococcus.
The HSIB said its investigation was looking to understand and describe the circumstances in which the acutely ill infant was not recognised or acted upon.
This will involve reviewing staff’s training and preparedness for recognising and responding to the sick infant.
The investigation will also explore how clinical information is communicated, reviewing the transfer of information between people from parents and carers, as well as the handover of information between staff.
The HSIB said it will consider the systemic and environmental influences that effect the decision-making process, taking into account contextual factors that influence the effectiveness of existing track and trigger tools.