Mum died at home an HOUR after medic said she looked ‘normal’ – but missed key warning sign on her lips
CHARLOTTE Alderson died of an infection at home hours after medics missed a key warning sign on her lips, an inquest heard.
The mum-of-three from Suffolk had been vomiting and complained of excruciating headaches before she died on December 21, 2022.
An emergency medical technician (EMT) who attended the scene spoke to a GP on the phone about the 34-year-old’s condition.
Both decided Charlotte, a swimming instructor, did not need hospital treatment.
After her death, it emerged Charlotte had group A streptococcus (Strep A), a common but potentially deadly bacterial infection.
Her husband, Stuart Alderson, told Suffolk Coroner’s Court that he had noticed a blue tinge on her lips, a classic warning sign of sepsis, a life-threatening infection.
He said he called NHS 111 after Charlotte had been vomiting and suffering diarrhoea all night, and that she lacked energy, which was “really unusual” for her.
An ambulance was sent out, and Stuart said that the staff told him there was a 14-hour wait at the hospital and that Charlotte would “just get a blood test”.
“To my mind, I thought, ‘Well if you think she’s OK, we’re happy to accept that decision not to go,’” the husband said, according to BBC reports.
The inquest heard that Charlotte first fell ill on 15 December 2022 with cold symptoms and an earache.
She saw her GP, who diagnosed an outer ear infection and prescribed a topical spray.
Medical staff used a clinical scoring system called Centor, which suggested no antibiotics were needed.
The coroner later said another system, Feverpain, might have recommended antibiotics and potentially changed the outcome.
EMT Morgan Burt said she did not see the blue tinge on Charlotte’s lips, but if she had, it would have been treated as a “high priority” case.
A recording of a phone call between EMT Burt and on call GP, Dr Emma Ayers, was played in court.
Dr Ayers said she thought Charlotte might have a viral infection and advised plenty of fluids and a Covid test.
But she added: “When I said it could be viral infection, that was only half of the sentence. I was thinking this could be bacterial and she could be septic.”
Dr Ayers said she was not informed about the blue lips during the call and that had she known, she would have sent Charlotte straight to hospital as an emergency.
She also said that if she could change her advice, she would have invited Charlotte for an appointment that afternoon.
Ambulance staff found Charlotte’s temperature and heart rate slightly elevated but other signs “generally within normal range.”
With no immediate hospitalisation needed, the ambulance left at around 1pm.
Charlotte’s condition got worse that afternoon.
Her husband went out to buy pain relief, but when he came back, he found her collapsed, unconscious but still breathing.
He called 999 again at around 2pm, during which time Charlotte stopped breathing.
Paramedics arrived just before 2:30pm and despite resuscitation efforts, she sadly passed away.
A post-mortem confirmed the cause of death as multi-organ failure due to septic shock from the rapid spread of the bacterial infection.
Sepsis spotting
Suffolk Coroner Darren Stewart raised “several matters of concern” about Charlotte’s death.
He warned the NHS’s Feverpain and Centor scoring systems for infections can give conflicting results, and said using Feverpain might have led to antibiotics being prescribed earlier, possibly saving her.
“There is a need to review these scoring systems to provide guidance on a single system clinicians can rely on,” he said.
He called for faster sepsis tests like CRP, finger prick, and lateral flow, stressing:
“The risks of sepsis and rapid deterioration are well known. We need urgent tools to help spot and treat it early.”
The coroner also slammed the 111 call system for delays when ambulances must be booked manually, not automatically.
The inquest is ongoing.
What is Strep A?
Group A streptococcal (GAS) infection is caused by strains of the streptococcus pyogenes bacterium
Group A streptococcal (GAS) infection is caused by strains of the streptococcus pyogenes bacterium.
The bacteria can live on hands or the throat for long enough to allow easy spread between people through sneezing, kissing and skin contact.
Most infections cause mild illnesses such as “strep throat” or skin infections.
It can also cause scarlet fever and in the majority of cases this clears up with antibiotics.
On rare occasions the bacteria can get deeper into the body – including infecting the lungs and bloodstream. It is known as invasive GAS (iGAS) and needs urgent treatment as this can be serious and life-threatening.
