Brighton: Girl died of Strep A at Royal Alexandra Hospital

Taleeya Nadia Amdesion, described as “extremely ambitious” and the “sweetest little girl”, died at the Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital in Brighton after contracting the infection in December 2022.

In a statement read out by their legal representative, the family said: “The impact of losing her has been immeasurable for everyone.

“She wanted to be a lawyer. She was always reading law books.

“We will forever miss her and feel her loss. We will think about her every single minute of every single day.”

Evidence was heard by a jury of 11 at the inquest yesterday in Horsham.

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Taleeya, from Brighton, had been unwell with a cough and a sore throat for several days before her mother called Taleeya’s GP, Wish Park Surgery in Portland Road, on December 5, but did not receive an answer.

The following day, December 6, the GP was contacted again, when Taleeya, a pupil at Hove Park School in Hangleton Way, was allocated an emergency appointment and seen by Dr Nekhil Shingadia at around 5.30pm.

Dr Shingadia, who has been a practising GP for eight years, examined Taleeya and found her respiratory rate was abnormal and chest crackles were heard. He also noted that Taleeya’s tongue was red and sore, suggesting the onset of strawberry tongue, a symptom of scarlet fever which is caused by the group A streptococcus bacteria.

Taleeya and her mother were advised to attend A&E the same day and were given a letter from him detailing his concerns.

The jury heard that the appointment lasted approximately 15 minutes, during which time Dr Shingadia did not recall alerting Taleeya’s mother to the possibility of a Strep A infection.

Upon arrival at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital's emergency department in Brighton, Taleeya’s mother reported that there was a wait before they were registered by a receptionist at 7.43pm.

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Taleeya was then triaged by nurse Natasha Gregory-Hutchinson at 7.52pm.

Ms Gregory-Hutchinson, who spoke at the inquest, described the situation at A&E in December 2022 “like nothing we have ever seen before”.

Due to a steep rise in group A streptococcal infections, the waiting area was reported to be full of patients, with some people sitting on the floor due to a shortage of seats.

After triaging Taleeya, the jury heard she was placed in the green category within the department's clinical grading system, which dictates how quickly a patient will be seen based on the severity of their symptoms.

Taleeya and her mother were advised that the wait time would be in excess of five hours due to the emergency department being exceptionally busy.

Taleeya’s mother reported that after being unable to find a chair for her daughter and being told she had to sit on the floor, Taleeya requested that she be taken home, following which the pair left A&E.

On the morning of December 7, Taleeya's mother called the emergency department and was told there was now a wait time in excess of ten hours.

She reported contacting her GP and 111 again but with no success.

In the early hours of December 8, an ambulance was called for Taleeya. Crews found she had low oxygen saturation, a high heart rate and temperature on arrival and took her to the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital.

Dr Kamal Patel, a consultant paediatrician who has practised for 24 years, was called in to the hospital shortly after 5am to treat Taleeya.

At the inquest, he reported that the country was in the middle of a “national epidemic of group A strep” and staff were “aware there had been some deaths”.

At the hospital, medical teams found Taleeya was suffering from severe decompensated shock due to invasive group A streptococcus, as well as influenza A and pneumonia.

Despite medical efforts, Taleeya died at 8.33am on December 8.

Dr Timothy Taylor, a consultant paediatrician, offered his condolences to the family and shared the measures that have been put in place to prevent future instances.

He said that staff were facing “extraordinary pressures” due to winter illness, the Covid pandemic and the group A strep spike, reporting that the department was seeing over double their regular number of patients daily at the time.

He also reported that since Taleeya’s death, measures such as extra triage training and dedicated reception staff have been implemented, although “more work needed to be done” on communication between GPs and hospital staff.

In the conclusion of the inquest today, October 8, Taleeya was described as a “very much-loved daughter” and “beautiful inside and out”. 

The coroner recommended to the jury that there was “no evidence to suggest that incorrect triage was causative to Taleeya’s death”. 

The jury concluded that Taleeya's death was of natural causes, primarily due to invasive group A streptococcus septicaemia caused by pneumonia and the secondary impact of influenza A.

Dr Timothy Taylor, chief of service for women and children at the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our sincerest condolences and thoughts are with the family at this difficult time. Their loss is an unimaginable tragedy for everyone who knew their daughter, and one that also deeply affected everyone involved in her care.

“We wish to apologise for the family’s experience of our children’s emergency department in December 2022.

"That period, during the national surge in Group Strep A cases, was the busiest our department has ever been, but following our investigation we have made significant changes to improve staffing during outbreaks, as well as the information available for families.”