Following an inquest at Leicester Coroner's Court, the coroner has been critical of the care that the deceased received in hospital prior to his death.
The deceased was a 14-month-old baby, Wsam Noorwali, who had swallowed a lithium button battery. The battery became lodged in his oesophagus and caused much damage. His parents brought him to Leicester Royal Infirmary at 22:00 on 18 July 2012 after their son had begun to vomit blood. Unfortunately, an endoscopy was not conducted that night, and nor were Wsam's vital signs properly recorded or monitored. There were subsequently three more bouts of vomiting blood, the last of which sent the deceased into cardiac arrest. Wsam died shortly thereafter.
The Coroner was critical of the hospital, saying that 'due to neglect in some important aspects in his care, Wsam was not resuscitated as quickly as he could and should have been or moved to endoscopy when he should have' and that 'there was a missed opportunity to treat sooner'.
Terry McGuinness was instructed by Matthew Olner of Nelsons Solicitors.
The inquest has been reported in the national media, including by the BBC, in The Telegraph, in the Daily Mail and in the Daily Mirror.
Terry McGuinness is a member of the Inquests Team as well as of the Claims Against the Police and Public Authorities, Crime and Prison Law Teams at Garden Court Chambers.
