Teen dies from asthma attack after hospital discharge

A 16-year-old girl named Billie Wicks died from an asthma attack after she was discharged from London's Royal Free Hospital. This was her first asthma attack, and her death has raised serious concerns about the hospital's patient monitoring practices. Billie's parents brought her to the hospital's emergency room on September 17, 2024. A recent report indicates that the department was understaffed that night. Senior coroner Mary Hassell stated that Billie should have received hourly observations. Without these checks, doctors failed to recognize how severe her condition was at the time of her discharge at around 3:30 AM. Hassell emphasized that if Billie had received proper observations and a senior medical review, she probably would have survived. The coroner also noted a similar case from 2023, involving a four-year-old boy who died from sepsis after multiple visits to the same hospital. This highlights a pattern of insufficient monitoring at the Royal Free. The coroner criticized a practice called "safety-netting," where patients are advised to return if their condition worsens. She expressed concern that this advice is unhelpful, especially when the parents are already worried enough to seek help. In Billie's case, after being reassured by hospital staff, her parents may have felt uncertain in their instincts when she deteriorated again. Additionally, Hassell pointed out that the emergency department was understaffed on the night Billie was treated. The report acknowledged the unusual nature of someone developing asthma at age 16 without a family history. The Royal Free Hospital expressed condolences to Billie's family and stated that they are making changes. They plan to increase staffing levels in the children's emergency department during busy times and improve how they alert senior doctors about abnormal test results. They will also review the coroner’s findings carefully.