Published on 12, July, 2020
I saw a report from a coronors court on the news yesterday about an inquest on a 13 year girl who had died after being given a dairy milk hot chocolate instead of the soya one she'd asked for, she was seriously ill within minutes of having one mouthful and dead not long after. This drink was served in a franchise branch of a well known hight street coffee shop, who said that the training and awareness of allergies hadn't been followed in this case and they agreed with the coroners findings.
How long before people take allergies seriously? I think the owners and staff who served the young woman should be prosecuted for negligence manslaughter as I fear its the only way that allergies will be taken seriously. It's not a laugh, or a joke and it definately does matter when you're given something you're allergic too. So many people think allergy suferers are fussy, lying and attention seeking and if you don't tell them you've given them an allergen they won't know.
I wonder how many people at best spend the day itching or in the toilet because of being given an allergen by someone who's to arrogant to care, or end up in hospital, let alone the mortuary?
I think we really need a public awareness campaign about how serious allergies can be.
I reckon that the person who served her is probably already suffering enough without a manslaughter charge. It's tragic.
I don't know what the solution is. The server is likely someone young who was hoping for a job with few responsibilities, and didn't ever think that something like this would happen. No one will want to work for minimum wage if a manslaughter charge was possible for being forgetful about milk in a busy shop. I'm not belittling this. It's awful. I take my own milk when I go out, and I only have intolerances (not saying people should do that - just saying that I don't trust the system)
There definitely should be something done to increase public awareness.
Also the girl mum had no epipen and silly to order hot chocolate before the dentist. I've got to be careful with coconut and certain eggs (I can only have hen)
They said on BBC Radio 4 that the girl's school did not allow students to carry their own auto-injectors, they had to leave them in the office. If this is accurate, it means that a Head Teacher decided that students were > not allowed < to have access to life-saving medical devices when travelling to and from school.
The guidance [ https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a829e3940f0b6230269bcf4/Adrenaline_auto_injectors_in_schools.pdf ] states:
" Depending on their level of understanding and competence, children and particularly teenagers should carry their AAI(s) on their person at all times or they should be quickly and easily accessible at all times. ... It is not uncommon for schools (often primary schools) to request a pupil’s AAI(s) are left in school to avoid the situation where a pupil or their family forgets to bring the AAI(s) to school each day. Where this occurs, the pupil must still have access to an AAI when travelling to and from school."
also https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5ce6a72e40f0b620a103bd53/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions.pdf :
" Wherever possible, children should be allowed to carry their own medicines and relevant devices or should be able to access their medicines for self-medication quickly and easily. Children who can take their medicines themselves or manage procedures may require an appropriate level of supervision. If it is not appropriate fora child to self-manage, relevant staff should help to administer medicines and manage procedures for them."
I don't know if the Head Teacher attended the inquest, or if there will be an inquiry into the part the school played by not allowing her to carry her autoinjector. I hope so.
It seems that this case was a cluster of errors. First the untrained coffee shop staff. Then the dentist who allegedly failed to recognise and treat anaphylaxis. Then the pharmacist who did not have an adult autoinjector in stock. And of course, the school. It is very sad - there were several points where the right intervention might have helped - who knows?