13-Year-Old Girl Dies of Sepsis Due to Hospital’s ‘Neglect.’ The Fine Is $1,700

A 13-year-old girl from Market Harborough, England, died after hospital staff failed to take her worsening condition seriously and delayed critical treatment.

Chloe Longster passed away in November 2022, just one day after being admitted to the children’s ward at Kettering General Hospital. According to her mother, Louise Longster, doctors and nurses delayed administering pain relief and antibiotics for what was later confirmed to be sepsis and pneumonia, the BBC reported.

“During Chloe’s last 18 hours on this earth she was in pain and treated with contempt,” Longster said during the inquest into her daughter’s death, according to The Times. She told investigators that Chloe was dismissed as a “diva teen.” The outlet reported that Chloe’s oxygen tube fell out and was never replaced, and even her identification bracelet had her name spelled incorrectly.

Longster recalled the devastating final hours of her daughter’s life. “Chloe asked if she could be put to sleep because it was unbearable. I remember thinking how pale and clammy she looked,” she said, per the BBC. “It’s harrowing to see your own child in so much pain.”

She also alleged that hospital staff suggested Chloe was exaggerating her symptoms, Sky News reported. “I wish I could go back and say sorry to her for trusting them,” Longster said.

An official investigation later concluded that Chloe’s death could have been prevented. Assistant coroner Sophie Lomas testified that “there were several missed opportunities to recognise Chloe’s deteriorating condition,” according to the BBC. She said there was a “clear causal link between these missed opportunities and Chloe’s death,” adding that neglect contributed to the outcome.

In December, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the U.K. government body that regulates hospital care, fined Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust £1,250 — about $1,700 — for failing its “duty of candour,” citing poor communication with Chloe and her family.

“Our whole family are utterly devastated that the failure to call us for five or six weeks is the reason for the fixed penalty notice,” Longster told the BBC. “It’s maddening they’ve only been fined for that.”

In a statement, the CQC said its investigation found the hospital trust failed to be open and transparent with the family, breaching Regulation 20 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008. The agency said the fine reflects the maximum amount allowed under current regulations and does not represent the value of Chloe’s life. The trust has paid the fine, and a notice of the enforcement action will remain on the CQC’s website for three months. Any money collected through fines is passed to the U.K. Treasury.

The hospital did not respond publicly to requests for comment at the time.

“When Chloe was at her most vulnerable, she didn’t get the care that she needed,” Julie Hogg, group chief nurse at the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire, told ITV. “After Chloe’s death, her parents weren’t treated with the compassion and empathy that they deserved. We have made a lot of changes since Chloe’s death. We know there is more to do, and we are absolutely committed to making those changes.”