Baby Sopbie who died in Great Ormond Street Hospital two years ago
A CAMPAIGNING Derry mother whose child died at one of the world’s leading children’s hospitals has said lessons must be learned from the fatality.
Sophie Maguire died two years ago after picking up an infection at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.
At an inquest on Friday, a doctor admitted she could have survived had she received antibiotics earlier.
Sophie’s mother, Leanne, told BBC Radio Foyle this morning that she was stunned by the doctor’s admission during the inquest.
She is now calling on the hospital to change its policy on administering antibiotics.
“My heart just sank. To think that we could have had here with us if she was given an antibiotic,” she said.
“A part of me never wants it to happen to another family.
“I think that we have got our answers. It has been horrendous but we managed to get there.”
Sophie was sent to London for surgery after being born with blood flow problems around her brain.
A spokesperson for Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust said: “It is not advisable to give antibiotics as a preventative measure.
“Judgements about when to routinely administer preventative antibiotics in such complex patients rely on a number of complicated factors.
“As the coroner confirmed, Sophie died from a complication of a necessary medical procedure.
“Following Sophie’s death, we conducted a full audit of our protocols for routine preventative antibiotic administration for this procedure to see if they needed to be reviewed.
“This confirmed that it is not advisable to give antibiotics as a preventative measure due to the low risk of infection and risk of resistance.
“We would like to extend our condolences to Sophie’s family again for their loss.”
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