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NHS 24 Nurse: I Tried to Reassure Teenager Girl Was Rushed to Hospital Just 12 Hours Later, Inquiry Told

Posted on: Wednesday, 5 October 2005, 06:00 CDT

By GRAEME SMITH

ANNHS 24 nurse adviser yesterday told a court how she tried to reassure a teenager she was unlikely to be suffering from meningitis, just 12 hours before the 17-year-old was taken to hospital with the illness.

Shomi Miah died from meningitis on October 26 last year and her death is one of two subjects of a fatal accident inquiry. Her family and the family of Steven Wiseman, a fatherof-two from Laurencekirk, who died from septic shock last December, campaigned for the inquiry because they believe both their loved ones might still be alive but for delays in obtaining treatment through NHS 24.

Annie Gray, 35, now a care manager but formerly a nurse adviser with the service, told the inquiry at Aberdeen Sheriff Court how she received a call from the family at 6.48pm on October 25 and spoke first to Shomi's brothers before asking to speak to Shomi herself.

She said she used her clinical experience, skills taught by NHS 24 and questions prompted by a computer system to try to help the schoolgirl.

She said: "You always err on the side of caution. You always think of the worst-case scenario when making an assessment and that is very much in the back of yourmind."

Shomi was cold and shivering so much that Ms Gray could hear her teeth chattering and, believing the cold feeling was caused by a high fever, she advised her to take paracetamol to reduce her temperature, and Nurofen to ease the general body pain she was suffering.

The fact that Shomi sounded bright and alert had also influenced her course of action.

She was aware that Shomi had suffered from meningitis several years previously but did not believe that meant she was likely to get meningitis again.

She said an intense headache can be a sign of the illness but, although the schoolgirl said she had a headache, Ms Gray told the inquiry she did not believe Shomi's was intense or she would have mentioned it without having to be asked.

The inquiry also heard that an inability to put your chin on your chest is another likely symptom of meningitis. Ms Gray had asked Shomi if she could do so and the teenager replied that it was painful.

"I was expecting her to be completely unable to do that if she had meningitis, " she said.

Ms Gray said she had taken the reply to mean she could but it was painful, but later agreed that, with hindsight, it could have meant she could not do it because it was painful.

She explained to Shomi that it was common for people with a fever to show symptoms similar to meningitis. "I wanted to reassure her it was unlikely she had meningitis, " she said.

She agreed in cross-examination that to assist her in her advice to Shomi she had followed a computer programme which related to an adult fever.

She had not ticked boxes on the computer screen which related to meningitis because she did not believe Shomi was suffering from meningitis, based on the information she had.

The court heard earlier how Shomi died from meningitis in hospital the following evening.

Asked by Jonathan Ward, depute fiscal, if she was happy Shomi was probably suffering from a viral infection she said:

"Yes."

Before taking evidence yesterday, Sheriff James Tierney and lawyers visited the NHS 24 call centre in Aberdeen.

The inquiry continues.

Source: Herald, The; Glasgow (UK)

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