Thirteen-year-old Louis Tate lived a normal life, despite being severely allergic to milk, nuts and eggs.
“It was very easy for us, Louis did live a normal life,” his mother Gabrielle Catan told a Melbourne inquest yesterday, ABC reports. “He always had an EpiPen, and had an anaphylaxis action plan”.
He knew how to manage his allergies at school, while visiting friends’ houses, while catching the bus around Melbourne’s city. He knew the drill.
It was his asthma, however, that landed him in Melbourne’s Frankston Hospital on October 22, 2015. He’d had an attack and doctors wanted to keep him overnight for observation.
He thought he was safe in the hospital. So too did his parents, Catlan and Simon Tate.
“He was in hospital, at a place where he should have been safe,” Tate said. “Yet, despite us providing clear and concise communications about his food allergies, he died.”
Now, the inquest into his death is being held at the Coroners Court of Victoria. It’s expect to last three days.
On the morning of October 23, 2015, Louis woke up in hospital - his mum had gone home in the middle of the night, after sitting with him as he fell asleep.
For breakfast, Louis reportedly asked for Weetbix, a glass of water and soy milk. "I didn't feel I had to say anaphylaxis was a life-threatening condition," Catlan told the coronial inquest yesterday, Seven News reports.
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She said she called the hospital soon after breakfast was over to see how Louis was doing. The nurse told her he was complaining of a tingling in his mouth, the inquest heard.
"That's some sort of allergic reaction," Catlan said she told the nurse.
She told the inquest the nurse said he'd eaten "no more than a spoonful" before complaining. "He knew what was going on," Catlan said.
Louis died hours later.
Hospital protocol at the time mandated children's allergies be recorded on a whiteboard in the kitchen. The nurse in charge of the children's ward Helen Hutchins told the inquest Louis' were not, and he was served regular milk instead.
"The system has now changed and we have a computer system," Hutchins said.
As well as this, nurses were unable to order or administer Louis an EpiPen because the Pen requires a prescription. "Nurses cannot prescribe. If it's not prescribed I can't administer it," Hutchins said.
In the time since Louis' death, Hutchins has pushed for this to change.
Speaking outside court, Louis' father, said "every day is a struggle" and the family wants answers.
"We continue to struggle every day with the emptiness, loss and circumstances surrounding his death," Simon Tate said, ABC reports.
"We strongly believe Louis' death never should have happened. Our hope is that this inquest not only provides us with the many answers we need and deserve, but that it closely examines food safety and anaphylaxis management protocols at Frankston Hospital."
Top Comments
This is absolutely vile.
I must say though I call complete BS on their "change of protocols". A close friend of mine was admitted to Frankston hospital just a few weeks ago due to his advanced kidney disease. He was incredibly ill and needed advanced care to bring him back to health. What he got instead was plates of salt laden food that he couldn't possibly eat and they refused to replace. He didn't get to eat anything for almost a week because of this despite daily complaints and begging for food. He only ate when friends and family found out what was happening and took food to him that he could eat.
He could have died because of their negligence
I find this inexcusable. Child care centre staff with no medical training do a great job of caring for and providing meals for children with anaphylaxis. That a hospital couldn't manage it either in providing a suitable meal or treating the child once he became ill is complete incompetence.