"I knew something was wrong when she hadn't woken for her bottle by 4am and she was almost grunting with her breathing. We went to A&E and at 9am we'd lost her. I can't believe how quickly it all happened."
Professor Sarah Neill from the University of Plymouth is chief investigator of the BeArH project. She said:
"During our research, we heard heart-breaking accounts from parents. I'd like to express my thanks to them for their time and courage in sharing their stories, and to the health professionals for lending us their valuable insights.The findings from the BeArH research provide important insights into the complex interplay of factors that influence the timing of treatment for these serious infectious illnesses.
"Parents, already distressed when their child is unwell, feel disempowered in the face of the established knowledge of health professionals in an overstretched service. For both, that system can be a complicated terrain to navigate. This can lead to a 'perfect storm' with tragic outcomes, ironically in a system designed to stop this. We hope that the BeArH findings and follow-up investigations will help to reduce child deaths."
Read the final report, Before Arrival at Hospital (BeArH) Factors affecting timing of admission to hospital for children with serious infectious illness.
*The BeArH research was funded by the National Institute for Health Research. The full list of partner organisations is:
- Edge Hill University
- Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Meningitis Now
- Mother's Instinct Support Group
- Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT)
- University of Leicester
- University of Leicester Hospitals NHS Trust
- University of Liverpool
- University of Northampton
- University of Plymouth
- Meningitis Research Foundation
- UK Sepsis Trust
- Encephalitis UK
The BeArH project presents independent research funded by the NIHR under its Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) Programme (Grant Reference Number PB-PG-0416-20011). The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.
