Our six-week-old baby died after THREE doctors in nine days missed his treatable illness, say heartbroken parents who now plan to sue
- James Payne developed a cough and wheezing a few weeks after his birth
- His mother took him to a GP who gave him nasal drops and paracetamol
- His breathing worsened a few days later so she took him to out-of-hours GP
- Was told he probably had a viral infection and that was normal for his age
- Was taken to another GP a few days later but died later that afternoon
- Coroner says he died from fluid in the lungs caused by a viral infection
- All three doctors claim they were not told he was wheezing - but James' mother strongly refutes this claim
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A six-week-old baby died after three doctors failed to spot a treatable illness.
Over nine days James Payne was seen by a GP, an out-of-hours doctor and then a locum after he developed a nasty cough – but he was sent home each time.
Hours after the third visit, his mother Mandy, 33, found him lifeless in his Moses basket with his face blue and blood coming from his nose.
She desperately tried to resuscitate him on the living room floor in front of her two-year-old daughter, but could not save him.
Mrs Payne said: ‘I screamed and cradled him while I called the ambulance but I knew then he was gone and it was too late.
'I put him on the floor and desperately tried to resuscitate him. I can remember the taste of his blood in my mouth and thinking “I can’t believe this is happening to me”.’
An inquest heard the cause of death was a build-up of fluid in his lungs and inflammation of his throat caused by a viral infection.
One of the doctors told the inquest that hospital treatment would have saved James.
All three claimed they were not aware of his breathing problems – a claim the family disputes.
Recording a narrative verdict, Southend Coroner Yvonne Blake said ‘no organisation identified’ the illness.
Mrs Payne and her husband Andrew, 38, plan to sue the NHS.
Mr Payne, a surveyor, said: ‘I feel James was robbed from me, from my family – it is someone’s fault and someone has to be held accountable for that. It is an unbearable loss which only someone who has lost a baby can ever understand.
‘It is an unimaginable pain I feel daily and I want answers as to why this was ever allowed to happen.’
James' parents, Mandy and Andrew, took him to
three different GPs but they claim each one failed to provide him with
the treatment that could have saved his life. They are pictured with
their daughter, Chloe, 2
Less than a week later she called the NHS out-of-hours doctor service and was told to take her son to Southend Hospital to be seen by a doctor, who said he suspected a possible viral infection but claimed that was normal in a child of his age.
Hours after his third visit to a doctor, James'
mother found him lifeless in his cot with blood coming from his nose.
She tried to resuscitate him in front of two-year-old Chloe but he was
already dead
The doctor told the inquest that he could not remember if he had removed James’s clothes or exposed his chest for examination. He denied that Mrs Payne had told him that her son had a wheezy cough.
An inquest into James' death heard he died from a
build-up of fluid in his lungs caused by a viral infection. His mother
says she doesn't know how to tell Chloe what happened to her brother
THE TIMELINE OF EVENTS:
On November 12, 2012, Mrs Payne took James to the Kent Elm Surgery in Eastwood because he had developed a bad cough.
Dr Maciej Bobnis gave him nasal drops and paracetamol.
Less than a week later James' breathing became wheezy so Mrs Payne took him to an out-of-hours GP at Southend University Hospital.
Here, Dr Hewa Dharmarathna concluded that James looked 'well' and said he probably had a normal viral infection.
On the morning of James' death, nine days after he was first taken to a doctor, Mrs Payne took him back to Kent Elm Surgery where he saw the locum, Dr Balavinayak Mohankumar.
The doctor claims he was not told that James was wheezing - Mrs Payne strongly refutes this claim.
Later that day, Mrs Payne found James dead in his cot.
Dr Maciej Bobnis gave him nasal drops and paracetamol.
Less than a week later James' breathing became wheezy so Mrs Payne took him to an out-of-hours GP at Southend University Hospital.
Here, Dr Hewa Dharmarathna concluded that James looked 'well' and said he probably had a normal viral infection.
On the morning of James' death, nine days after he was first taken to a doctor, Mrs Payne took him back to Kent Elm Surgery where he saw the locum, Dr Balavinayak Mohankumar.
The doctor claims he was not told that James was wheezing - Mrs Payne strongly refutes this claim.
Later that day, Mrs Payne found James dead in his cot.
Mr Payne said: ‘As a father I look to protect my family and I feel like I failed as a dad.
'I loved him so much and we lost him far, far too soon.
'Every day I wake up and the first two, three seconds, it hits you all over again and a piece of your heart simply breaks again.
'And it continues to break all day.
‘I drive past the park and I see fathers and their sons having a kick about and I know I will never be able to do that with my son.
'I’ve had that taken away from me and I am incredibly angry. I want someone to be held accountable.’
A spokesman for NHS England said: ‘We are deeply saddened and concerned to hear of this case, and would like to express our deepest sympathy to the family.
'However, we cannot comment on individual cases.’
A spokesman for Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: ‘We offer our sincere condolences to the family and will continue to support them at this sad time.’
During the hearing all three doctors claimed
they were not told about the infant's breathing problems - with one GP
admitting hospital treatment might have saved his life - but his parents
strongly refute these claims
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