'Loving' schoolboy, nine, died of sepsis eight days after he was diagnosed with flu by an NHS hospital and sent home with painkillers and a 'coughs and colds' fact sheet, inquest told

A loving and inquisitive schoolboy died of sepsis 8 days aft an NHS infirmary diagnosed flu and sent him location with painkillers.

Dylan Cope, nine, loved playing with Lego and Rubik's cubes and was looking guardant to hitting 'double digits' connected his 10th birthday.

He became unwell successful December 2022, and the household GP admitted him to infirmary with suspected appendicitis aft helium complained of 'excruciating' abdominal pain.

Dylan was discharged from the Grange University Hospital successful Cwmbran, South Wales, successful the aboriginal hours of the adjacent time and parents Corrine and Laurence Cope were fixed a 'coughs and colds successful children' information sheet.

But Dylan didn't get amended and his information abruptly deteriorated portion the household waited 2 hours for an NHS 111 telephone back.

Mr Cope drove him backmost to A&E astatine the Grange and helium was instantly transferred to the University Hospital of Wales successful Cardiff.

Dylan, described arsenic a unsocial and delicate schoolboy, died of 'brutal killer' sepsis 4 days aboriginal connected December 14.

An inquest is being held to observe wherefore Dylan was sent location portion helium was earnestly sick and if determination was a hold successful the 111 service.

A Pre-Inquest reappraisal past October heard the individuality of the doc who discharged the schoolboy from infirmary was unknown.

In a written connection Dylan's begetter said nary of the medics astatine the infirmary connected Tuesday December 6 identified themselves by sanction oregon gave their aesculapian qualifications.

He said: 'A antheral medic, successful scrubs and a look disguise who came crossed arsenic nonrecreational and definite of himself, said it was highly improbable determination was a occupation with Dylan's appendix.

'Blood tests came backmost and they said the enigma was solved - Dylan had swollen lymph glands and had tested affirmative for Influenza A.

'Dylan was inactive airy and lethargic. He laid softly connected the bed, not successful excruciating symptom but intelligibly successful discomfort.

'I was fixed a information expanse for children with coughs and colds. I felt relieved and reassured that the medics each concluded it was not appendicitis.'

Dylan was fixed Calpol and Nurofen but became much lethargic connected Saturday December 10. 

His disquieted parents called the exigency fig connected the discharge enactment they were fixed by the Grange University Hospital aft 19 attempts to get done a pistillate telephone handler advised Mr Cope to telephone 111 for proposal but helium said she 'did not look concerned'.

He was waiting for a telephone backmost from a doc erstwhile Dylan started shouting: 'My legs, my legs.'

Mr Cope said: 'His legs had started to mottle - Corrine said it was either meningitis oregon sepsis. An ambulance would person taken excessively agelong - I drove him to A&E and an exigency squad took over.

'He was taken to the University Hospital of Wales and aft an cognition helium was connected beingness support.

'The doctors told america determination was thing much they should bash for him, it was highly improbable Dylan would survive.'Life enactment was gradually withdrawn and Dylan died connected December 14.

Dylan, the youngest of 3 children, was a 'fit and healthy' lad who was owed to play a reindeer successful his schoolhouse Christmas play.

In a connection done their ineligible squad his parents said: 'Dylan was precise loving and inquisitive with a quirky consciousness of humour.

'He enjoyed playing with Lego and Rubik's cubes and learning astir science, coding, and had ambitions of becoming a machine programmer.

'Dylan was specified a unsocial quality and beauteous blend of feisty and sensitive.

'He saw the quality of beingness but besides the injustice and was speedy to marque his views known.

'His spot of quality and fierce independency balanced with his softer, endearing, delicate broadside were traits that made him alternatively unique.

'On the time we were meant to beryllium proudly watching Dylan successful his schoolhouse Christmas play dressed arsenic a small reindeer, alternatively we watched him dying.

'There is nary uncertainty that Dylan would person grown up to bash immoderate precise absorbing things successful his life, but we person been denied the accidental of watching our lad turn into a antheral and experiencing the joys of beingness with him.

'Moreover, we are genuinely heartbroken for Dylan, that helium volition ne'er get to acquisition the joys of beingness and the hopes and dreams helium had.

'We are nary strangers to grief, but this is symptom connected the deepest level imaginable that no-one tin genuinely recognize unless they excessively person experienced the decease of their child.

'Since Dylan's death, our lives person go unrecognisable. We are filled with grief and daze that our small lad was taken truthful soon and successful this way.

'Our hearts ache for Dylan each millisecond and everything we spot and bash is done his eyes. Dylan's lack is and volition proceed to beryllium the undercurrent of our days until our last breath.'Mr Cope, a web developer and his wife, a civilian servant, privation to forestall different families suffering the aforesaid agony arsenic theirs during the wintertime months erstwhile radical are astatine their astir susceptible to viruses and infections.

They besides privation to rise consciousness of appendicitis and the symptoms of sepsis, which is simply a absorption to an corruption and happens erstwhile the immune strategy overreacts and starts to harm the body's ain tissues and organs.

Symptoms tin beryllium similar those of flu and see terrible breathlessness and a precocious fever.

The couple, from Rhiwderin, Newport, said: 'We person been told sepsis successful children is precise rare, tragically we cognize Dylan is 1 of galore to suffer their beingness to this brutal killer.

'There is overmuch bully enactment being done to assistance forestall deaths from sepsis and besides amended outcomes for those recovering from sepsis but inactive a mode to go.

'We impulse parents to ever spot your instincts implicit thing other with your child, contempt what you are told, if you consciousness thing isn't close it astir apt isn't and beryllium mindful that clip whitethorn not beryllium connected your side.

'Trust your instincts implicit thing other and question urgent help.'

The mates thanked surgeons and unit astatine the assemblage infirmary of Wales for trying to prevention their young son.

They said: 'Obviously, we privation thing much than to beryllium successful the presumption to accidental we beryllium Dylan's beingness to them but tragically, we are not. What we bash beryllium them is our sincere acknowledgment for doing their utmost to prevention him.'The couple's run has led to changes successful sepsis consciousness and a Sepsis Trust QR codification is present printed connected paediatric information sheets successful GP surgeries and hospitals.

The Welsh Government is presently moving with the Sepsis Trust to nutrient a sepsis leaflet that volition beryllium distributed crossed Wales.

Dr Ron Daniels, Founder and Joint CEO of UK Sepsis Trust, said: 'It's each parent's worst nightmare to suffer a kid and to look up to a beingness of grief – Dylan reminds america that sepsis tin onslaught immoderate kid astatine immoderate time.

'The UK Sepsis Trust is connected a ngo to empower parents to conscionable ask, ''could it beryllium sepsis?'' if their kid is deteriorating successful the discourse of an corruption and to promote wellness professionals to perceive - parents cognize their kid amended than anyone.'

It was besides revealed astatine the inquest that a 'senior' doc who wrongly diagnosed the dying schoolboy astatine a engaged NHS infirmary has not been traced.

His begetter Lawrence Cope told an inquest the doc who spoke to him and Dylan astatine the Grange University Hospital successful Cwmbran didn't place himself oregon springiness his qualifications.

The father-of-three assumed helium was a surgeon and told the hearing: 'He came crossed arsenic elder successful his relation and was calm and assured successful his demeanour.

'Although calm, casual, relaxed and assured helium remained nonrecreational arsenic though helium was seeing maine and Dylan successful a nonrecreational capacity. He seemed precise definite of himself.'

Mr Cope said the doctor, who was successful scrubs and a facemark, was successful his successful his 30s to 40s, slim to mean build, gangly and with a flimsy 'foreign' accent.

The medic told Mr Cope it was 'highly unlikely' Dylan's abdominal pains were connected to his appendix but helium could not retrieve him physically examining his poorly son.

Peter Bassett, a paediatric unit caregiver for 20 years, told the inquest that Dylan was seen by a pistillate doc but helium didn't cognize her name.

He told the hearing: 'Dylan was seen by a inferior doctor, a acheronian haired pistillate with her hairsbreadth pulled back. I cognize each the elder doctors.

'The infirmary had immoderate caller doctors astatine the clip and immoderate wore facemarks due to the fact that of Covid.'In his grounds Mr Cope said a antheral doc told him Dylan had flu 'which tin origin swollen glands passim the body'.

Dylan's information deteriorated astatine location and helium was aboriginal admitted to the University Hospital of Wales successful Cardiff wherever helium died aft 4 days connected beingness support.

The inquest heard the origin of decease was septic daze with aggregate organ dysfunction caused by a perforated appendix.

Paediatric caregiver practitioner Samantha Hayden said it was 'exceptionally busy' successful the section connected the nighttime Dylan was admitted and she didn't look astatine the referral notes from his GP which said 'query appendicitis'.

Nurse Hayden told the Newport inquest she 'should probably' person taken much clip to inquire Dylan and his begetter astir his tummy pains.

But she said she did sermon appendicitis with Dylan's begetter who wrongly assumed she was a doctor. 'I did not disregard it arsenic a possibility,' she said.

The tribunal heard Dylan complained of terrible symptom connected the near broadside of his abdomen - the appendix is connected the right.

The inquest, successful Newport, is expected to past 5 days.