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Adcock family
Signs of sepsis brought on by pneumonia were initially missed by hospital staff
Charges against a hospital where a six-year-old boy died are being considered, police have confirmed.
Jack Adcock died of septic shock at Leicester Royal Infirmary in 2011, after a “catalogue” of mistakes.
Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba was convicted of gross negligence manslaughter, but supporters have said “systemic” hospital failings were to blame.
Leicestershire Police confirmed it had received a letter urging the force to bring corporate manslaughter charges.
The court heard Jack, who had Down’s Syndrome and a heart condition, was the subject of a “catalogue” of errors including missing signs of his infection and mistakenly thinking he was under a do-not-resuscitate order.
After being found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence Bawa-Garba was suspended for 12 months.
But last week the High Court upheld an appeal by the General Medical Council (GMC) that this decision was “not sufficient to protect the public”.
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The hospital trust itself should be investigated, doctors’ groups have said
This provoked a backlash from medics who felt Bawa-Garba had been made a scapegoat for making honest mistakes in a under-resourced hospital.
More than 8,000 doctors have signed a letter condemning her treatment and online appeal raised more than £200,000 in a matter of days.
Dr Ramesh Mehta, president of the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) said the case had caused “shock waves”.
Junior medical staff and trainees were “fearful” and felt unsupported, he said.
“They will be hesitant to work in these circumstances thus compromising patient care.”
Hadiza Bawa-Garba’s case has provoked concern within the medical profession
Writing to Leicestershire Police, BAPIO said: “We believe that significant concerns have been raised and evidence referred to which justify consideration of an investigation of University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust to determine if Jack Adcock’s death could require a prosecution.”
The force confirmed it had received the letter from the BAPIO and “will be discussing its contents with the CPS”.
A spokesman for the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust said: “We understand that the police have received a letter from the BAPIO and will be discussing it with the CPS.
“We await the outcome of those discussions.”
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