The mother of a five-month-old girl who died in hospital has told an inquest that medical staff dismissed her concerns multiple times over a 15-hour period, potentially contributing to her daughter's death. Lynsey Carr and Leon High brought their daughter, Esta, to the emergency department at Leeds General Infirmary on October 31, 2023, after she developed a high fever and vomiting. Despite testing positive for Covid-19, the parents declined hospital staff’s initial advice to take Esta home due to her temperature exceeding 40 degrees Celsius and her deteriorating condition.
The family was placed in a side room in the hospital’s children’s assessment and treatment (CAT) unit, where Carr said staff appeared more focused on isolating Esta than addressing her symptoms. Over the course of the following hours, Carr observed her daughter developing a rash and experiencing arm shaking, which she feared could be a seizure. She described repeatedly asking for medical assistance but said staff were unresponsive and dismissive of their concerns.
Carr characterized the 15 hours spent in the CAT unit as "filled with missed opportunities," suggesting that if the attending junior doctor had acted with greater urgency or sought advice from senior colleagues, her daughter's life might have been saved. It was not until late afternoon on November 2—some 55 hours after initial admission—that Esta became unresponsive. Subsequent scans and tests revealed meningoencephalitis and the presence of Streptococcus pneumoniae, a bacterial infection causing brain inflammation.
By the time emergency interventions were underway, the condition had progressed too far. Carr recounted how the room filled with doctors and nurses attempting to save Esta's life, but said it was "too late to save our darling girl."
The inquest, which began earlier this week at Wakefield coroner's court, is expected to last ten days and will examine the timeline and response of hospital staff during Esta’s treatment.
In a related development, the government recently announced plans to extend “Martha’s Rule” to all accident and emergency (A&E) departments in England. This policy, named after Martha Mills—a 13-year-old who died from sepsis in hospital in 2021—allows patients and families to urgently request a second opinion if they are concerned about care. The rule grants 24/7 access to an immediate review and is currently in place in inpatient wards following a successful pilot program.
Martha’s parents, Merope Mills and Paul Laity, had stated that their concerns about their daughter’s condition were repeatedly ignored and a coroner later concluded that earlier intensive care could have saved her. The government’s move seeks to prevent similar tragedies by empowering families to escalate concerns promptly within hospital settings.