A four-year-old boy died of sepsis just hours after being sent home from a London hospital and told to take Calpol, his parents have claimed.
Daniel Klosi, from Camden, had visited the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead four times in the week before his death in April this year.
His parents, Lindita Alushi and Kastriot Klosi, had repeatedly raised concerns that their son was seriously ill but claim they were sent home.
Daniel was first taken to A&E on Sunday, March 26. He was given steroids for suspected croup – a common condition that affects children’s airways – and sent home a couple of hours later.
The family returned to hospital the following Thursday after becoming concerned about Daniel’s breathing. They were discharged in the early hours of Friday and advised to give Daniel Calpol and Ibuprofen.
Daniel’s parents remained concerned over his condition and claimed that he had stopped eating. They took him to hospital again on Saturday, April 1 but said they were sent home with the same advice as before.
The next day, after an assessment, Daniel was admitted to the children’s emergency department. Doctors suspected he had sepsis, a life-threatening condition where the body attacks itself in response to an infection.
Daniel died after midnight on Sunday, April 2. His cause of death was later confirmed as sepsis.
'We felt so helpless'
On their last three visits to hospital, Ms Alushi and Mr Klosi claimed they had asked doctors to perform blood tests but these weren’t carried out.
Ms Alushi, a pharmacy assistant and qualified doctor in her native Albania, said: “Each time we took Daniel to hospital it was because we thought his condition was getting worse.
“We asked for tests such as blood tests and X-rays but it felt like our concerns weren’t fully listened to.
“We were getting more concerned about Daniel as it looked to us like his condition was deteriorating. When he was admitted to hospital everything seemed to move so quickly and in just a few hours Daniel had died. We felt so helpless watching him being taken from us in the most terrible way.”
She added: “It’s almost impossible to find the words to describe the last few months and what we’ve been through. If it wasn’t for the hurt and pain we feel each day it would almost seem unreal that Daniel died.
“Daniel was the most amazing little boy and we were so proud he was our son. He loved cooking and baking with me. He loved animals, listening to stories and playing with his friends. Daniel was very inquisitive and curious. He was just an absolute delight and didn’t deserve to die.”
The Royal Free has since launched an investigation, and Daniel’s death has been referred to a coroner.
Ms Alushi, 43, and Mr Klosi, 49, have also instructed medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to help them seek answers from the Trust. They have also been in contact with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer about Daniel’s care.
The couple also hope to raise awareness of the dangers of sepsis, which kills 48,000 Britons every year.
Mr Kastriot said: “One of the hardest things to try and come to terms with is having so many unanswered questions about those final days. We can’t undo what’s happened but the least we can do is at least honour Daniel’s memory by getting the answers we and he deserves.”
He added: “We hope that by speaking out we can help raise awareness of sepsis and help others. We wouldn’t wish what we’re going through on anyone.”
A Royal Free London NHS Trust spokesperson said: “We are deeply sorry that Daniel died while under our care and would like to share our sincere and heartfelt condolences with his family.
“An investigation into the care provided to Daniel is ongoing. We have been in regular contact with his parents and have been sharing the findings of the investigation with them as it continues to progress.
“Once again, we would like to say how deeply sorry we are for their loss.”
