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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/feb/08/melissa-whiteley-student-dies-flu-after-family-follows-nhs-advice-sepsis-pneumonia
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| Student dies of flu after NHS warning over A&E visits | Student dies of flu after NHS warning over A&E visits |
| (13 days later) | |
| A young engineering student reportedly died of flu after her family followed NHS warnings over Christmas not to attend A&E unless it was an emergency. | A young engineering student reportedly died of flu after her family followed NHS warnings over Christmas not to attend A&E unless it was an emergency. |
| Melissa Whiteley, 18, was admitted to hospital on Christmas Day after failing to shake a cough and suffering flu symptoms. Her condition deteriorated and she was placed into a coma. | Melissa Whiteley, 18, was admitted to hospital on Christmas Day after failing to shake a cough and suffering flu symptoms. Her condition deteriorated and she was placed into a coma. |
| Tests revealed Whiteley, from Stoke-on-Trent, was suffering from sepsis, the flu, pneumonia and a fungal infection in her throat. She died at Glenfield hospital in Leicester on 27 January. | Tests revealed Whiteley, from Stoke-on-Trent, was suffering from sepsis, the flu, pneumonia and a fungal infection in her throat. She died at Glenfield hospital in Leicester on 27 January. |
| Her family say they still feel numb after her death following “the best year of her life” and have been left frustrated by the NHS’s message. | Her family say they still feel numb after her death following “the best year of her life” and have been left frustrated by the NHS’s message. |
| Whiteley’s mother, Sharon, 53, told reporters: “We read all the warnings about not coming to hospital if you have a cold or the flu and we just followed them. We thought it was the right thing to do. | Whiteley’s mother, Sharon, 53, told reporters: “We read all the warnings about not coming to hospital if you have a cold or the flu and we just followed them. We thought it was the right thing to do. |
| A combination of factors are at play. Hospitals have fewer beds than last year, so they are less able to deal with the recent, ongoing surge in illness. Last week, for example, the bed occupancy rate at 17 of England’s 153 acute hospital trusts was 98% or more, with the fullest – Walsall healthcare trust – 99.9% occupied. | A combination of factors are at play. Hospitals have fewer beds than last year, so they are less able to deal with the recent, ongoing surge in illness. Last week, for example, the bed occupancy rate at 17 of England’s 153 acute hospital trusts was 98% or more, with the fullest – Walsall healthcare trust – 99.9% occupied. |
| NHS England admits that the service “has been under sustained pressure [recently because of] high levels of respiratory illness, bed occupancy levels giving limited capacity to deal with demand surges, early indications of increasing flu prevalence and some reports suggesting a rise in the severity of illness among patients arriving at A&Es”. | NHS England admits that the service “has been under sustained pressure [recently because of] high levels of respiratory illness, bed occupancy levels giving limited capacity to deal with demand surges, early indications of increasing flu prevalence and some reports suggesting a rise in the severity of illness among patients arriving at A&Es”. |
| Many NHS bosses and senior doctors say that the pressure the NHS is under now is the heaviest it has ever been. “We are seeing conditions that people have not experienced in their working lives,” says Dr Taj Hassan, the president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine. | Many NHS bosses and senior doctors say that the pressure the NHS is under now is the heaviest it has ever been. “We are seeing conditions that people have not experienced in their working lives,” says Dr Taj Hassan, the president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine. |
| The unprecedented nature of the measures that NHS bosses have told hospitals to take – including cancelling tens of thousands of operations and outpatient appointments until at least the end of January – underlines the seriousness of the situation facing NHS services, including ambulance crews and GP surgeries. | The unprecedented nature of the measures that NHS bosses have told hospitals to take – including cancelling tens of thousands of operations and outpatient appointments until at least the end of January – underlines the seriousness of the situation facing NHS services, including ambulance crews and GP surgeries. |
| Read a full Q&A on the NHS winter crisis | Read a full Q&A on the NHS winter crisis |
| “It’s so frustrating that we delayed taking her in because of that. With conditions like sepsis you need treatment as quickly as possible. | “It’s so frustrating that we delayed taking her in because of that. With conditions like sepsis you need treatment as quickly as possible. |
| “I cannot fault the medical staff who looked after her. They did their best and at the end they were crying too after they got to know how wonderful she was. | “I cannot fault the medical staff who looked after her. They did their best and at the end they were crying too after they got to know how wonderful she was. |
| “You’re not wasting the doctors’ time if you go in. If you’re not happy with something, or think something is wrong, you can’t delay in getting looked at.” | “You’re not wasting the doctors’ time if you go in. If you’re not happy with something, or think something is wrong, you can’t delay in getting looked at.” |
| Her father, Mark, said: “She was so much fun. She was always on the go and had a great sense of humour. | Her father, Mark, said: “She was so much fun. She was always on the go and had a great sense of humour. |
| “She had great banter with her twin sister – she was the happiest person and she had so much to live for.” | “She had great banter with her twin sister – she was the happiest person and she had so much to live for.” |
| Whiteley’s twin sister, Megan, who was studying engineering with her sibling at Newcastle-under-Lyme college, said: “I feel completely lost without her. We did everything together. It’s left me feeling completely numb. She was such great fun to be with.” | Whiteley’s twin sister, Megan, who was studying engineering with her sibling at Newcastle-under-Lyme college, said: “I feel completely lost without her. We did everything together. It’s left me feeling completely numb. She was such great fun to be with.” |
| A JustGiving page set up by the family of Whiteley’s boyfriend has raised £3,000 to help fund her funeral. | A JustGiving page set up by the family of Whiteley’s boyfriend has raised £3,000 to help fund her funeral. |
| Whiteley was initially taken to A&E at Royal Stoke University hospital. She was admitted after six hours, and seemed to be making a recovery after being given oxygen for several days. | Whiteley was initially taken to A&E at Royal Stoke University hospital. She was admitted after six hours, and seemed to be making a recovery after being given oxygen for several days. |
| But her family received a call from the hospital on 29 December saying there was nothing more they could do for her and they needed to move her to a specialist unit at Glenfield hospital. | But her family received a call from the hospital on 29 December saying there was nothing more they could do for her and they needed to move her to a specialist unit at Glenfield hospital. |
| An NHS spokesperson said: “While the NHS is offering extra options for quick and convenient advice when people feel unwell, the NHS is not – and would never – ask people who need to do so not to go to A&E. Instead our public information is about helping people know about the full range of services available, from GP practices to NHS 111, which are often able to provide advice and treatment more quickly than A&E departments.” | An NHS spokesperson said: “While the NHS is offering extra options for quick and convenient advice when people feel unwell, the NHS is not – and would never – ask people who need to do so not to go to A&E. Instead our public information is about helping people know about the full range of services available, from GP practices to NHS 111, which are often able to provide advice and treatment more quickly than A&E departments.” |
| Hospitals recorded their worst performance against the four-hour A&E treatment target last month as the NHS came under unprecedented strain because of winter and the flu outbreak. | Hospitals recorded their worst performance against the four-hour A&E treatment target last month as the NHS came under unprecedented strain because of winter and the flu outbreak. |
| A&E units based at hospitals managed to treat and then admit, transfer or discharge just 77.1% of arrivals within the four-hour target in January. That compared with 77.3% in December, which was also a new record low at that time. | A&E units based at hospitals managed to treat and then admit, transfer or discharge just 77.1% of arrivals within the four-hour target in January. That compared with 77.3% in December, which was also a new record low at that time. |
| Hospital emergency departments have now had to divert patients elsewhere 287 times since the NHS began recording winter performance data on 20 November. It happened 36 times last week, of which 17 were at the Worcestershire Royal hospital in the West Midlands. | Hospital emergency departments have now had to divert patients elsewhere 287 times since the NHS began recording winter performance data on 20 November. It happened 36 times last week, of which 17 were at the Worcestershire Royal hospital in the West Midlands. |
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