The devastated mother of a 13-year-old girl who died in “unbearable pain”. sepsis after being dismissed by staff as a “teen diva”, she stated that her daughter “deserved so much better”.
Chloe Longster was a “healthy” teenager, “full of energy” until she was admitted to the pediatric emergency department with severe pain in her lower ribs and cold-like symptoms.
She died less than 19 hours after being admitted to Kettering General Hospital in Northamptonshire in 2022. The diagnosis was pneumonia.
Yesterday's inquest revealed that negligence and a series of hospital errors contributed to the boy's death.
Her mother, Louise Longster, has since revealed the “harrowing” ways her daughter had failed in the run-up to her death, adding: “She was the best of us and deserved so much more.”
Chloe Longster, 13, from Market Harborough, Leicestershire, is pictured with her mother Louise
Chloe Longster (pictured), 13, died of sepsis following delays in care after being dismissed by staff because of a 'dramatic teenager', an inquest hears
A 13-year-old girl was admitted to the children's ward at Kettering General Hospital after experiencing severe lower chest pain and cold-like symptoms (General view of Kettering General Hospital)
Teen 'darling' In vitro fertilization a little girl and an avid dancer, the weekend before her death she was sneezing and coughing but felt well enough to attend a sleepover.
Chloe, who was from Market Harborough, Leicestershire, also had mild asthma and used inhalers, but according to her parents she had never had an asthma attack.
Recalling the moment her daughter became seriously ill, Mrs. Longster recalled wondering if she was going to the right place on the way to the hospital.
“She was scared. She held my hand and squeezed it,” Mrs. Longster said: “But never in my wildest dreams did I think my daughter would die.”
Earlier this week, an inquest heard that Chloe was in such severe pain that she was unable to walk and had to be taken to hospital by her brother in a wheelchair.
Despite the girl's condition, Ms Longster said she felt she had to “convince” hospital staff of her daughter's poor health.
The grieving mother previously said she was treated like a “surviving mother.” Google” while her daughter was dismissed as a “teen diva.”
She told the BBC that hospital staff had shown a sort of “immunity to the sounds of Chloe's pain”.
According to the mother, the nurse also yelled at the suffering teen for taking short, quick breaths.
Chloe was diagnosed with pneumonia and died less than 19 hours after being admitted to the ward
Her mother Louise Longster said she repeatedly asked doctors for help but was treated like a “mother who used Google” while her daughter was dismissed as a “teen diva”
“How does shouting at someone or being disrespectful help the situation?” – she told the publication.
“It was the first time Chloe needed medical attention and it was terrifying.”
The mother claimed she was not informed about the sepsis screening and said pain relief for her daughter was “delayed” because she was treated with “contempt” in the final hours of her life.
The 40-year-old added that her daughter never received an identification bracelet.
“She asked me if she was going to die. I took it as an attempt to express how bad she felt. It's unbelievable that the 13-year-old was right,” she said during the hearing.
“In the last 18 hours on this earth, Chloe has been in pain and treated with contempt.”
In an interview with the BBC, Mrs Longster told how her daughter's chest was “creaking” as she lay next to her.
“You really get the impression that there is a general belief that patients are not really sick and that parents are a nuisance,” she said.
“It was devastating and shocking to see her fail. It's an understatement, but it wasn't a shock, it wasn't a surprise.
“She was the best of us and deserved so much more,” she added.
“In the last 18 hours on this earth, Chloe has felt pain and has been treated with contempt,” her mother told the inquest
“She was a peacekeeper and although she was in so much pain, she was never rude to them (hospital staff). She was always nice, polite, but desperate.
The grieving mother also raised concerns about how children and non-verbal people were treated if staff were unable to “elicit enough empathy from the child as easily as Chloe”.
The ruling came shortly after Mrs. Longster spoke of the devastation she had endured following her daughter's death, which the family said was “entirely preventable.”
The completed investigation revealed that on arrival at hospital, Chloe was triaged and placed in a side room and given oral Oramorph for her pain.
Mrs Longster said: “She asked if she could be put down because she was in so much pain. She told me, “Stop saying everything will be fine, Mom.” It hurts.
The teenager had a cannula inserted but it fell out while she was still in the emergency room, and her mother and brother later had to take her themselves for an X-ray.
Ms Longster said she saw the X-ray and noticed what she thought was a mass at the bottom of Chloe's lung.
When she returned to the emergency room, her mother was told that Chloe had a chest infection.
Her doctor prescribed antibiotics and she received one dose before being admitted to Skylark.
The grieving mother also raised concerns about how children and non-verbal people were treated if staff were unable to “elicit enough empathy from the child as easily as Chloe”.
While on the children's ward, Mrs Longster found she had to repeatedly ask doctors for more painkillers for her daughter.
“I remember commenting that I felt like we were chasing her pain rather than overcoming it,” she said.
When the nurse returned to carry out further observations of Chloe, she noticed that her oxygen levels had dropped, with Mrs. Longster remarking: “At first they thought the machine was broken.”
Chloe was moved to a side room and Mrs Longster said this was because she had tested positive for Influenza A, the inquest heard.
A consultant was called and more people started coming to Chloe's room.
Mrs Longster said: “I asked the nurse if everything was going to be OK and she said she didn't know.
I don't know how I got out of the room, but I only remember hitting the floor and falling.
“I felt like Chloe hadn't been taken seriously up to that point because she was unwell.
Ms Longster said she was under the impression that the nurses thought Chloe was behaving “dramatically”.
“I still think there were preconceived ideas,” she said. “Chloe asked for a quilt to be brought to her, but I thought that would just exaggerate the teenage diva thing.”
Chloe's parents, Dave and Louise Longster, have said they want real change following her death.
Yesterday the inquest concluded that Chloe might have survived had she received treatment earlier (Kettering General Hospital file photo).
Deputy coroner Sophie Lomas told Northampton Coroner's Court yesterday that Chloe could have survived had she received treatment earlier.
“We missed several opportunities to recognize Chloe's deteriorating condition,” she said.
“The trust recognized missed opportunities and identified shortcomings in both medical and nursing care.”
“Overall I agree that Chloe's condition, had it been identified earlier, could have been managed and the outcome changed.
“Neglect contributed to her death. We repeatedly missed opportunities to recognize and respond to her deteriorating condition.
