'They failed our girl': Family of woman who died in hospital after contracting sepsis fight for answers

A family from Fife whose daughter died from sepsis say they don’t want what happened to her to happen to anyone else.

Scott and Christine Herd from Colinsburgh believe proper procedures were not followed after 26-year-old Jessica was admitted to hospital in the summer of 2020 – she died days later.

They’re now calling for complaints about NHS treatment to be independently investigated.

NHS Fife says a review found the care provided was appropriate while the Crown Office decided a Fatal Accident Inquiry was not in the public interest.

Mum Christine told STV News: “She was a bubbly girl. She would help anybody and looked after everybody. If she had something to say, she’d say it. If she had a problem to fix, she’d fix it.

“We still miss her a lot. We keep expecting her to walk in the door.”

Jessica died in hospital days after being admitted in July 2020. STV News

School pupil support assistant Jessica had suffered from complex regional pain syndrome since she was a teenager.

She was admitted to the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy in July 2020 after collapsing at home.

Medical notes show she was to be treated for sepsis.

But the sepsis six protocol – which outlines procedures which should be undertaken within the first hour of the condition being recognised – was not followed.

A subsequent review into the case noted that, but concluded it had no impact on the final outcome.

Scott, who has been pushing for more answers since Jessica’s death, is not satisfied with that.

“I think there were severe failings. They ignored the protocols that they themselves put in place,” he said.

“The medical director kept on coming back and saying it wouldn’t have changed the situation, Jessica would have still died. That, I found galling.

“How do you know it wouldn’t have changed (if the sepsis six protocol had been done)?”

A spokesperson for NHS Fife said: “A complaint into Ms Herd’s care was previously escalated to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO), which reviewed the case and found the care provided was appropriate. It also noted that the significant adverse events review carried out had been thorough.”

The family also pushed for a Fatal Accident Inquiry, but this request has been turned down.

The Crown Office said: “At the request of the family, the original decision not to hold an FAI was subject to a review, carried out by a member of Crown Counsel who had no previous involvement in the case.

“Following this review Crown Counsel confirmed that there should not be a Fatal Accident Inquiry. The family have been provided with detailed reasons for this decision.”

Scott now hopes highlighting the case will strengthen calls for an independent body to be established to investigate complaints in the first instance.

“We just feel absolutely hamstrung,” he said. “If it’s happened to us, what else has happened with regards to sepsis? It’s the silent killer. (They need to) do your checks, and learn from it. They didn’t do that.”

“To lose a child is the worst feeling you could have. We don’t want it to happen to anybody else.”