NHS hospital accused of cover-up in overdose case

The family of a woman who died after being repeatedly overdosed with paracetamol in an NHS hospital have demanded action over her death amid allegations of an NHS cover-up.

- SHAUN LINTERN

Laura Higginson, a trainee solicitor and mum of two, died after seeking medical help for sickness and pneumonia. She died two weeks later from multi-organ failure and sepsis. Whiston Hospital, in Merseyside, has admitted to the overdose but denied it caused her death and rejects any suggestion of wrongdoing.

But expert reports, seen by The Independent, including from a liver specialist, questions the trust’s account of what happened, the quality of its post-mortem and concludes the mother-of-two – who only weighed 36kg – suffered liver failure after too much paracetamol in April 2017.

The overdose mistake was recognised by staff on the third day but Laura’s family were never told. The trust did not record the error as an incident and only started an investigation 14 months later when concerns were raised by Laura’s family. Her husband Antony Higginson says the subsequent investigation report is “littered with inaccuracies.”

He told The Independent: “We just want justice; we don’t care about money. Laura died needlessly and all these institutions charged with ensuring safe care and accountability have point blank failed and have rendered Laura’s life as essentially worthless and that she didn’t matter, when she did matter.”

The former soldier has spent thousands of pounds forcing the system to take a fresh look at his wife’s death. A third coroner has now opened an inquest. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has confirmed it is considering whether to bring charges of manslaughter against the St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals Trust, which runs Whiston Hospital, after a file was passed to them by Merseyside Police.