Heartbroken mum speaks out after baby dies from sepsis following bowel surgery at Sheffield hospital

Lariece Greaves said Kyra Ali Aslam died after having an operation to reverse a stoma that she had fitted shortly after birth. The tot underwent the surgery at Sheffield Children's Hospital in August 2022 but her bowel started leaking after the operation.

The 28-year-old mum raised concerns that her daughter wasn't acting as she did previously after surgery but medics said it was “normal” behaviour linked to "anaesthetic". Kyra started vomiting the following day and nurses, who feared Kyra may have sepsis, raised “significant concerns” with other medical staff. However, medical staff said a leaking bowel would be a rare complication and believed the organ wasn’t working properly after surgery. Kyra’s condition deteriorated and she died two days later from sepsis on August 13, 2022.

Reflecting on her grief, the heartbroken mum said: “We’d do anything to have Kyra back in our lives but know that’s not possible. It’s almost impossible to find the words to describe the hurt we feel over Kyra’s death. The hole her death has left in our family is unbearable."

Lariece, who also has two sons, stressed the importance of raising awareness about sepsis. She said:"I just hope that by speaking out, people realise how dangerous sepsis can be and that improvements in care are made...I wouldn’t wish what our family are going through on anyone."

Lariece paid tribute to her "beautiful" daughter, remembering her as a "smiley baby" who was "very content." She said: "Kyra’s nickname was Dolly Bleu because she had the most beautiful blue eyes, just like her grandparents. She was such a happy and content baby despite everything that happened to her after she was born. Her brothers loved interacting with her, which easily made her smile."

Following an inquest, coroner Abigail Combes called on Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust to outline steps to improve care. It was revealed that the hospital failed to obtain consent for Kyra’s stoma reversal and did not properly inform Lariece about the 1 per cent risk of a leaking bowel. The surgical team also failed to review Kyra the night before her death, despite her high paediatric early warning score, and did not recognise signs of sepsis.

In response, the trust acknowledged the failings but denied liability for Kyra's death. The hospital has since introduced several measures, including enabling parents to escalate concerns about their child’s care, funding a sepsis lead nurse, and creating a monthly safety, quality, risk, and learning committee.

Dr Jeff Perring, executive medical director at the trust, offered an apology, saying: "The care Kyra received at Sheffield Children’s did not meet the quality of care we strive for. We apologise for this and extend our sympathies to Kyra’s family. We will continue to make sure that lessons are learnt and embedded into practice."

Sinead Rollinson-Hayes, the family’s lawyer, said: "This is a truly tragic case which has left Kyra’s family heartbroken. Kyra’s death is a stark reminder of the dangers of sepsis and how early detection and treatment are key to beating it. It’s now vital that lessons are learned to improve patient safety."