Three-year-old boy died after NHS 'catalogue of errors'

Health Ombudsman Julie Mellor has described Sam Morrish's death as a tragic case. She says the 3-year-old was failed by four organisations, and tough recommendations will follow.

She has apologised to the family, and will be meeting them to apologise in person and discuss the case.

NHS services in Devon are "determined to ensure that the lessons really have been learnt" from the untimely death of a three-year-old who died from sepsis after a "catalogue of errors" across local health services.

Dr Graham Lockerbie spoke on behalf of Cricketfield GP Surgery, NHS Direct, out-of-hours service Devon Doctors Ltd and South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, and said:

A toddler who died after a "catalogue of errors" at an NHS hospital caring for him while he had sepsis, would still be alive today if he had received the appropriate care, a watchdog has said.

The Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) Dame Julie Mellor criticised the "further injustice" the bereaved family suffered during the complaints process.

Read: NHS 'catalogue of errors' led to three-year-old's death

The family of Sam Morrish - a young boy who died in 2010 after a series of errors by NHS staff - say they have been let down after it took "an astonishing length of time" to discover the circumstances surround his death.

In a statement published through the Patients Association, Sam's family said they and NHS staff had been failed by the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO).

A three-year-old boy died from a treatable condition due to a string of errors by NHS workers, a review has found.

Sam Morrish died after four separate health service organisations made repeated mistakes in his care, the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) said.

Sam died of severe sepsis in December 2010 following a "catalogue of errors" by the Cricketfield GP Surgery, by NHS Direct, by the out-of-hours service Devon Doctors Ltd and by the South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

Failures included inadequate assessment of the toddler, not recognising that he was vomiting blood and a three-hour delay before he received antibiotics at hospital.

Dr Graham Lockerbie, speaking on behalf of the local NHS, said it is "determined to ensure that the lessons really have been learnt" following the findings.