Teenager who died of meningitis was told by medics to 'sleep it off'

PARENTS SAY 15-YEAR-OLD WOULD HAVE SURVIVED IF AMBULANCE TECHNICIANS HAD TAKEN HER TO HOSPITAL

- By JOEL MOORE [e-mail]

A NOTTINGHAM teenager who died from meningitis was told to “sleep off” an illness by ambulance workers the day before, an inquest has heard.

The parents of 15-year-old Zara Cheesman, who died on December 23 last year, claim their concerns were “ignored or misunderstood” by East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) technicians when they failed to transport the girl to hospital.

It was one of several potential missed opportunities to treat Zara sooner, who had become increasingly sick in the days prior, Nottingham Coroner's Court heard on Wednesday. These also included a trip to A&E at Queen's Medical Centre, when she was sent home with a suspected vomiting bug.

Zara's parents Judith and Mark, from Mapperley Park, said they were told by medics that she “almost certainly” would have survived had there been an earlier intervention.

“This was one of the hardest things to hear. We were devastated by this statement,” they said in a statement read out in court.

“Meningitis is easily treated with antibiotics and it feels like treatment in the UK has gone back in time. It’s a very treatable disease.”