Health board sorry for 'gross failure' in death of boy, nine

A HEALTH board has issued a public apology to the family of a nine-year-old boy who died after a “gross failure of basic care” by hospital staff.

- HOLLY MORGAN

Dylan Cope died after being sent home from the Grange University Hospital, Cwmbran, with a perforated appendix.

A coroner found neglect by the hospital contributed to the death of the boy, described by his family as “loving” and “feisty”.

Dylan, from Newport, died on December 14, 2022, eight days after he was taken to A&E by his parents when he was having abdominal pain.

He had been referred by a GP, who had written a note saying “query appendicitis” - a note which was not read by the hospital.

During his inquest in May 2024, senior coroner Caroline Saunders found “a number of individual errors” resulted in Dylan being wrongly discharged from hospital and that this amounted to “a gross failure of basic care”.

In a narrative conclusion, she said Dylan’s death would have been avoided if he had remained at the hospital for further assessment, adding: “His death was contributed to by neglect.”

On April 30, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board issued a public apology to Dylan’s family.