Hudson Hewitt: Family calls for law change after toddler dies following misdiagnosis in NHS phone consultation

And now, the family of Hudson Hewitt is campaigning for mandatory face-to-face GP appointments for children under five following the tragic death.

Hudson, from Ferryhill, County Durham, fell ill on the morning of January 18. His parents, Shannon Palfrey and Tyler Hewitt, both 26, initially thought their son had caught a stomach bug after he woke up crying, holding his tummy, and vomiting.

“It was all such a shock, totally out of the blue,” Hudson’s mother told The Northern Echo. “We never felt like a family until we had Hudson. He made us us. He was full of character, so smiley. He loved farm animals, dinosaurs. He was a typical little boy.”

Shannon called NHS 111 and was told by a doctor over the phone that Hudson had gastroenteritis. The advice was to keep him hydrated and call back if he didn’t improve in 24 hours.

However, Hudson's condition worsened dramatically the next day. After being seen at urgent care in Bishop Auckland, he became unresponsive and was rushed by ambulance to Darlington Memorial Hospital. He died shortly after arrival.

“They were trying to get his obs and laid him down to check his belly and told me they were going to ring an ambulance,” Shannon said. “He asked me for a cuddle. I picked him up and his breathing changed, he was wheezing a little. I laid him down and then he just went unresponsive.”

A post-mortem revealed Hudson had died from a twisted bowel due to a birth defect, a condition that can be survivable if detected and treated early. Shannon believes a face-to-face appointment on the first day could have saved her son’s life.

“I think if they had seen him on the Saturday and they did his observations, something could have shown up,” she said. “With an adult, we can say what the problem is, but a child can’t do that.”

Hudson’s aunt has now launched a petition calling for legislation that would require mandatory in-person consultations for children under five when parents contact NHS 111 or a GP.

“My nephew, Hudson, was just two when a phone consultation led to a tragic misdiagnosis,” the petition reads. “His parents were told he had gastroenteritis and were advised to ‘keep trying to get fluids into him’... If he had been examined in person, doctors could have caught this in time. But at just two years old, he couldn’t tell us what was wrong with him.”

“Telemedicine has its place, but it should never replace in-person consultations for young children,” she adds. “The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health warns that young children’s conditions can often be misinterpreted over the phone or video. I believe it should be a legal obligation for GPs to see all children under five in person.”

The family says they are determined to fight for change in Hudson’s name to protect other families from suffering similar heartbreak. They say: “We are fighting for change in Hudson’s name - to prevent the pain of misdiagnosis and protect our precious young ones.”