A coroner has ruled that a London hospital failed to treat a consultant's son with the required urgency before he died of sepsis. William Hewes, 22, died at Homerton Hospital in east London on 21 January after delays in administering antibiotics and fluids.
The inquest at Bow Coroner's Court heard that Hewes's mother, Dr Deborah Burns, a consultant paediatrician at the same hospital, repeatedly asked medics to give lifesaving antibiotics within the first hour. However, antibiotics were not administered until 1.25am due to a misunderstanding between a doctor and nurses. There was also a 90-minute delay in transferring Hewes from A&E to intensive care.
Coroner Mary Hassell said it was unclear whether earlier treatment would have saved Hewes, but noted the case shared similarities with that of Martha Mills, a 13-year-old who died of sepsis in 2021. Martha's death led to the adoption of Martha's Rule, which gives families the right to a second opinion. Hassell said she would issue a prevention of future deaths report to Homerton Hospital.
Dr Burns told the inquest she felt a sense of 'betrayal' towards colleagues who ignored her warnings. She said she raised the alarm eight times but witnessed delays. Homerton Healthcare NHS Trust admitted the mistakes were 'suboptimal' and said it would take onboard the coroner's findings.
