Maya Siek: Hospital made 'number of failures' as girl, 6, dies of sepsis after being sent home from A&E

A six-year-old died just days after being discharged from hospital, following a ‘number of failures’ by an NHS trust. Maya Siek succumbed to suspected sepsis after initially being sent home from A&E with a tonsillitis diagnosis, despite collapsing twice and her mother's concerns. An inquest at Maidstone’s Oakwood House revealed she later died from heart failure due to an influenza infection is believed to have led to sepsis.

Giving evidence, the head of nursing for children at QEQM, Sophia Lindsay, acknowledged that Maya should not have been sent home from A&E on December 19, 2022 and that the trust failed to transfer her to a London intensive care unit in time. Described as a "happy child" with a “radiant smile”, Maya tragically died at Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother hospital in Margate, Kent, on December 21, 2022.

However, there was no evidence to suggest that East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust had directly caused or contributed to the death of the girl but it committed to improving sepsis training and interdepartmental communication.

Maya’s mother and step-father, Magdalena Wisniewska and Rajratan Bande, are dissatisfied with the trust’s response to their daughter’s death. Before the conclusion, Magdalena tearfully addressed the courtroom: “We want to say how disappointed we are of our NHS trust. We trusted them but today we know that was our biggest mistake.

“We should have looked for help somewhere else or maybe pushed them more. We definitely should not have left the hospital on the 19th. We don’t know if somebody had reacted more quickly whether Maya could have been saved but we know that they didn’t try everything that they could.

“We have completely lost faith in the NHS. We trusted them by leaving Maya under their care. We didn’t have any idea how bad Maya’s condition was, who decided that it was not necessary to inform the mother that Maya is the most sick child with sepsis?”

She continued: “I wish that I’d known this at the time when Maya was here, that I could spend more time with her hugging her tightly. Or maybe I would go back and look for help at a different hospital? As I felt they just don’t really care there. Instead they comforted me and told me that she was fine when she wasn’t.

“They said that soon we would be ready to go home, why did the doctor tell me that? He shouldn’t have. Maya was at the end of her life and I didn’t know because nobody thought that her mother should know.

“I am angry and I don’t trust a word that they say. I just know that they missed opportunities to help Maya, especially on the 19th but also on Rainbow ward. Our life is ruined. We have lost all joy for life. Nathan has lost his sister and his childhood. The hospital has learned lessons, so I should be satisfied? No, I am not.

“I lost my Maya and nothing will give me her back. It is great if they can save other kids but does this really matter for me? Honestly, no. I lost my best friend because of them and I know we are not here today to blame anyone but I just want to say that I am angry, sad, disappointed and I blame and hate them all.”

On Monday, accident and emergency consultant  Dr Andrew Mortimer testified that the day Maya was sent home from A&E with tonsillitis was the most challenging of his nearly 20-year career. He said: "It was a busy shift in the emergency department."

Emergency doctor Dr Nizar Hassini had escalated Maya’s case to a paediatric registrar, who agreed with the decision to discharge her. Dr Hassini noted the department was very busy, and he had to treat an infant in cardiac arrest that night.

Last year, QEQM Hospital apologised for Maya's "inappropriate discharge due to a lack of senior clinical oversight" and vowed to learn from an independent report into her death. The report revealed failures, including not escalating her case to a consultant and ignoring abnormal blood results. Maya died from sepsis caused by influenza A.

Maya’s mother, Magdalena Wisniewska, vowed to fight for justice since. A four-day inquest at Oakwood House this week revealed a nurse wrongly removed a monitor tracking Maya’s high pulse and oxygen levels just hours before her heart failed. Assistant coroner Catherine Wood said attempts to resuscitate Maya were unsuccessful and acknowledged the impact on both the family and clinicians.

Dr Hassini initially diagnosed Maya with tonsillitis and discharged her, but she collapsed shortly after leaving the hospital. After returning, an ECG and blood test were done, and she was discharged again. The coroner found "no objective evidence that discharging Maya more than trivially impacted her death" but cited multiple failures in communication and documentation.

The coroner noted Maya was placed far from the nurses' station and that staff failed to recognise her persistently high heart rate's seriousness. Despite being put on the sepsis pathway, the sepsis form was never completed. The inquest also heard that the hospital lacked a paediatric intensive care service, requiring transfers from London.

Dr Jan Stanek, a consultant, said she regretted not prioritising Maya, a decision he said would stay with him for life. Pathologist evidence indicated myocardial necrosis was present at least 12 hours before Maya's death.

The coroner highlighted several failures, including not starting the sepsis pathway and poor communication. However, she concluded there was no definitive evidence these failures caused Maya's death. Ms Wood stated that future medicine might uncover the full cause of Maya's death.

In her narrative conclusion, Ms Wood said Maya died from myocardial necrosis, with fatty liver disease and influenza A as contributing factors. She expressed condolences to Maya's parents and apologised for not being able to fully explain her death.

Following the inquest, Dr Des Holden, chief medical officer for East Kent Hospitals, apologised for the mistakes in Maya’s care, stating the trust had made changes to improve children's services, staff training, and communication.