A mum and dad have been left devastated after their three-year-old toddler died from dehydration just a day after she was sent home from hospital without having had any basic tests to find out what was wrong with her.
Mylee Ward died 24 hours after a doctor at Chesterfield Royal Hospital failed to run rudimentary checks on her when her worried mum and dad took her into A & E.
The little girl was said by her parents Terrina-Ann Laughton and Kevin Ward to have been off her food and drink for three days in March last year. They took her to the emergency department after a paramedic examined her at home and decided she needed hospital treatment.
When they arrived at Chesterfield Royal Hospital little Mylee was laid across two chairs in A&E by a locum doctor, Mushfikur Rahman. Instead of carrying out basic urine or blood tests on her, he instead sent her home at 1am with antibiotics.
Mylee's father told the coroner that the following day his daughter looked 'old'.
"It was strange, it was like looking at a little old lady," he told the inquest. "Her eyes were sunken in with dark rings around them."
Terrina-Ann later found Mylee unconscious in her playpen. She said she laid her flat on the floor but could not get any response from her. A doctor was called but Mylee was pronounced dead.
The little girl suffered from a rare brain disorder which meant her development was delayed and she could not speak. Her heartbroken mother told the hearing that despite her condition, Mylee was a 'giggly, happy little girl' who 'would often tuck into the biggest Sunday lunch you could imagine for a three-year-old'.
Coroner Robert Hunter told the inquest that simple medical checks were not done, and that if Mylee had been admitted to hospital and given fluids, she would 'on balance' have survived. He added that these were 'basic medical checks, nothing complex or sophisticated'.
Mylee's mum said the family have had no apology or contact from the hospital since Mylee died.
"I've no idea if Dr Rahman has been disciplined or is still working. If he had done his job properly Mylee would still be alive," she said.
The coroner recorded a narrative verdict and said Mylee died due to dehydration, contributed to by neglect.
Chesterfield Royal Hospital said it had not used the locum doctor since the incident and had passed concerns on to the agency they had booked Dr Rahman from.
The Mirror reports that Mylee's family are now considering taking legal action.