NHS trust faces CQC prosecution over deaths of two girls with sepsis at Broomfield Hospital

The Care Quality Commission, the NHS regulator for England, is prosecuting Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust (MSE) over the deaths of two small children who had sepsis at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford. BBC Essex uncovered the case.

There are three charges under the Health and Social Care Act. Two relate to Zadie Ajetunmobi, who was three. One relates to Selina Samarina, who was two. Court documents allege care and treatment was "not provided in a safe way."

These are allegations. The trust is due before Chelmsford Magistrates' Court in December and is expected to enter pleas on 3 December.

Zadie Ajetunmobi, November 2022

Zadie was taken to Broomfield on 10 November 2022 with a temperature of 40C (104F). She suffered a cardiac arrest and died within 10 hours.

A post-mortem examination found her death arose from complications associated with sepsis. She did not receive a potentially life-saving dose of intravenous antibiotics for more than seven hours.

MSE had previously told her family that staff had not updated local sepsis guidance since 2017.

Her parents, Theo and Rhiannon, called her a "beautiful little girl" and said: "This is a tragedy from which we will never recover."

Selina Samarina, April 2024

Selina, who had Down's syndrome, was taken to Broomfield on 7 April 2024 with a fever, a rash and irritability. A doctor discharged her. She died two days later, after her parents brought her back.

An inquest looked at what happened in between. Assistant coroner Stephen Simblet KC said the sepsis protocol was triggered when Selina first arrived, but a doctor of appropriate seniority was not available for two and a half hours. In that gap, he said, she was sent home by a "very junior doctor."

What the trust says

Adam Sewell-Jones, MSE's group chief executive, said: "We are working closely with the CQC on its investigation. As there is an ongoing legal process, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage."

The trust has not said how it will plead. A plea is the first point at which it will state a position on the charges.

The gap between events and charges is long. Zadie died almost four years ago. Selina died in April 2024.

Other sepsis cases this autumn

The Essex prosecution is not the only sepsis case involving a children's service to surface in recent weeks. They are separate matters, and no one has linked them.

In County Durham, the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust confirmed on 19 October that two young patients have died in cases involving sepsis over the past year. It is reviewing their care to establish whether anything could have been done differently. A spokesperson said the trust is strengthening staff training and making sure national sepsis screening tools are used consistently, and is monitoring how closely they are followed.

The trust has not disclosed the patients' ages, where they were treated or the circumstances of their deaths. No charges or findings of fault exist in that case.

In Sheffield, Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust has admitted a breach of duty over the death of four-month-old Kyra Ali Aslam. Kyra had surgery to reverse a stoma on 11 August 2022. Nursing staff feared sepsis just after midnight on 12 August and raised it with medical staff. She died in theatre at 3.40pm on 13 August.

The trust admitted it failed to act to treat her sepsis and that there were missed opportunities to recognise and repair a leaking bowel. It accepted she would likely have survived with appropriate care, and it apologised. Her mother, Lariece Greaves, pursued the case through lawyers at Irwin Mitchell. Sinead Rollinson-Hayes of that firm said sepsis is "incredibly dangerous but treatable with early detection and treatment."

Greaves said the admission was "bittersweet" and that she hoped sharing Kyra's story would help other parents recognise the warning signs.

What comes next

The Chelmsford hearing on 3 December will show whether MSE contests the charges or admits them. If the case goes ahead, the court will examine the same questions the Essex families have asked for years: how quickly antibiotics were given to Zadie, and who was available to see Selina during those two and a half hours.

The Durham review has no published timetable.