Doctor let Wrong Child die cos She thought he was another kid with a DNR

A BOY of six was left to die because his doctor wrongly thought he had a “do not resuscitate” order, an inquest was told

Jack Adcock was killed by pneumonia after the medic confused him with a child who had gone home.

Paediatric registrar Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba admitted at the inquest that she interrupted attempts to resuscitate Jack without checking his identity.

She said she was “not on top of things” after working 12 hours without a break at Leicester Royal Infirmary.

She saw staff trying to save Jack and told them to stop, believing he was under a DNR order.

Asked by coroner Catherine Mason whether she saw Jack’s face before telling staff to stop, she said: “There were a lot of people in the room and I can’t remember if I saw a face or not.

“But what was important to me was not to resuscitate a child that was not to be resuscitated. As soon as I was told it was Jack, I said: ‘No, he has everything.’

the little boy's parents

“I was not aware Jack had gone to Ward 28, or that the other boy had been discharged.”

After staff realised the mix-up, medics tried for an hour to resuscitate Jack.

The youngster, from Leicester, had Down’s Syndrome and other health problems.

He had been referred to the hospital earlier the same day suffering from sickness and diarrhoea.

Dr Bawa-Garba said she had recently come back from a 13-month maternity break.

Jack’s heartbroken parents Nicky and Victor listened as Dr Bawa-Garba added: “My skills were probably not at the level they should have been.”

Nicky, 39, said there was “no urgency” at the hospital.

She was left alone with her son when he fell unconscious, and told by staff he “needs his mummy”.

Then doctors and nurses rushed back in, with one doc saying: “He can have everything.”