A coroner has agreed to call an inquest into the death of a 20-year amateur footballer who died of sepsis almost two years ago.
It comes after concerns were raised – and failings have now been admitted – with regards to his treatment by health services.
Luke Abrahams, from East Hunsbury, died at Northampton General Hospital on January 23, 2023, just a week after he’d first complained of feeling unwell with a sore throat.
He was initially diagnosed by his GP as having tonsillitis, and then sciatica as he developed unbearable cramp pains in his leg over the following week.
During that time he was assessed by health professionals on six separate occasions before finally being admitted to hospital.
This included being assessed by a crew from East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) three days before his death, but they made a decision not to take him to hospital.
A Serious Incident Investigation at the EMAS Trust has since found that the ambulance crew failed to follow guidelines and policies.
It concluded that Luke had displayed symptoms which should have been recorded as a ‘Red’ score – indicating an immediately life-threatening condition. Despite this, the ambulance crew followed Luke’s previous diagnosis of sciatica.
The investigation described the failure to take him to the hospital as a ‘missed opportunity to seek extra medical help for Luke which could have prevented deterioration’.
Two days later, on January 22nd, Luke was rushed to hospital by ambulance and the full extent of his illness was finally discovered. He had sepsis and the life-threatening infection necrotising fasciitis, also known as the ‘flesh-eating disease’.
A decision was taken to amputate his leg in an effort to save his life, but he died, having suffered a cardiac arrest, after surgery.
Luke’s death was recorded at the time as being of ‘natural causes’ and an inquest was not held to examine the exact circumstances and medical care provided.
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Luke’s family approached retired lawyer Radd Seiger for help, who introduced them to Hudgell Solicitors, knowing our track record of representing families at inquests, and in leading medical negligence claims.
Principal solicitor Elizabeth Maliakal wrote to Anne Pember, Senior Coroner for Northamptonshire, urging her to open an inquest, which she has now confirmed she will do.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Luke’s mum Julie Needham said:
I still can’t believe our beautiful Luke is no longer with us.
It is almost two years since he died. In January 2023, he went from having a sore throat to being dead in a week. There were red flags for sepsis present but they were all missed and we went on to lose him.
We cannot bring him back now, but we have wanted an inquest to be held so that a full review can be undertaken into how he died and the reasons why and so that lessons can be learned. We do not want any other family to go through the torture we are going through.
Beyond that, we want accountability for the human failure that led to Luke’s death, and so we are grateful to the Coroner for looking at this again, and agreeing that an inquest should now be heard.
‘New evidence can now be considered at inquest’
Mrs Maliakal, of Hudgell Solicitors, said:
We made submissions to the Coroner requesting an inquest now be opened on the basis of there being new evidence to hand which suggests Luke’s death could possibly have been avoided had appropriate health care been provided.
The East Midlands Ambulance Service Trust investigation identified clear failings in that guidelines were not followed and that an opportunity to prevent Luke’s condition worsening was missed when the ambulance crew failed to take him to hospital.
It clearly raises the potential of culpable human failure and we feel one of the key questions which should now be considered by the Coroner at the inquest is whether these failures caused or contributed to Luke’s death.
It will also provide the opportunity to also further investigate other aspects of Luke’s care over the final week of his life, when he was assessed by his own GP, by out of hours centres, the NHS 111 service and also at Northampton General Hospital A&E department, where he was discharged before being readmitted days later.
We are grateful for the Coroner’s decision and urge her to open this inquest as soon as possible, given it will be two years since Luke’s death in January.
Mr Seiger, adviser and spokesperson for the family said:
The circumstances of Luke’s death require that an inquest be held and I am incredibly grateful to Hudgell Solicitors for stepping in to now lead the case for us.
