Toddler Alfie Died After Doctor's Failure

**mara thon** Fri 30 Sep - 0:12

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/toddler-died-because-hospital-failure-154642799.htm

lA three-year-old boy died as a result of the failure of a doctor to correctly diagnose his illness, a coroner has concluded.

Alfie Podmore was found dead in his bed by his mother, Abby, three days after being sent home from Birmingham Children's Hospital.

An inquest heard he had been diagnosed with a viral infection, but he actually had a bacterial chest infection and died from septicaemia brought on by pneumonia.

Ms Podmore, 21, has spoken to Sky News of the agony of being arrested shortly after her son's death on suspicion of murdering the little boy.

Recording a narrative verdict earlier, coroner Aiden Cotter said Alfie died after Dr Brian Shields - a paediatrician with eight years' experience - misdiagnosed him after he was admitted.

Dr Shields had made a "clinical misjudgement" rather than a gross failure, but if he had got it right Alfie would probably not have died, the coroner added.

Ms Podmore said Alfie had been taken to hospital in February with a high temperature, but his illness was dismissed as a stomach bug and he was sent home with antacid medication.

Just three days later she found him cold and not breathing in his bed. Despite her frantic efforts to revive him, paramedics pronounced him dead after arriving at her home.

But instead of being allowed to grieve for her son, she ended up being arrested on suspicion of his murder. She said she was kept at a police station for 18 hours until a post-mortem examination showed she was not to blame.

Ms Podmore said she did not get to see Alfie's body until 10 days later.

"By that time it didn't even look like him any more which was harder for me. I hadn't been able to see him from when I found him and I hadn't been able to grieve."

Ms Podmore is taking legal action against West Midlands Police, which is carrying out an inquiry into her treatment by officers.

She is also suing Birmingham Children's Hospital for the failures in Alfie's care.

"I just don't feel doctors did enough for him. They missed signs and symptoms and if they'd have done their job properly, Alfie would still be here today."

Ms Podmore, who is heavily pregnant with her second child, added: "I think I conceived few days before Alfie passed away and I feel like it's a present from Alfie.

"I think that was him saying, 'You are a good mum and you deserve to be a mum again', because that's what I miss the most."

Dr Vin Diwakar, chief medical officer at Birmingham Children's Hospital, said in a statement: "Thousands of clinical judgements are made in our hospital every day, and sometimes, when those judgements are wrong, it can lead to tragic consequences, as it did in the case of Alfie.

"We're truly sorry for the unimaginable distress the family have gone through and have ensured that the doctor concerned has been given additional support and supervision since the incident