Father dies of sepsis just 10 hours after being diagnosed with chest infection

A father who believed he had the flu and was prescribed antibiotics, died from sepsis just 10 hours after being diagnosed with a chest infection, an inquest was told.

Paul Hardy, 35, originally from Cheadle in Stockport, had been prescribed antibiotics and referred for an X-ray just hours before he was found dead by his wife Rachel as she put their nine-year-old daughter to bed.

An inquest at North Staffordshire Coroner's Court heard how Paul visited Biddulph Doctors twice in the days before he died in February 2017.

On his first visit on 17 February, a nurse said he was not showing signs of infection and that he had a virus. He was told to rest and take over-the-counter medicine.

However, Paul's condition got worse and he suffered from a high temperature, a chesty cough, aching, vomiting and diarrhoea.

Paul returned to the surgery on 20 February and was checked by a different nurse. Paul, who suffered from asthma, was diagnosed with a chest infection, prescribed antibiotics and referred to a walk-in centre for a chest x-ray.

"When I saw him he did not show sepsis symptoms. I understood he was going to go for the X-ray straight away," the nurse told the inquest.

Rachel said her husband was advised he could not get an X-ray until his temperature went down, adding that he felt too sick to go straight away. Instead, the couple went home, with Paul going to bed. Rachel later found her husband dead.

"He was restless. At 6pm I took him some food. I propped him up and fed it to him," Rachel said. "When I walked in later I knew he wasn't breathing.

Paul was later pronounced dead, the Manchester Evening News reported. A post-mortem found Paul had an abscess on his lung, which was partially collapsed.

Biddulph Doctors senior partner Dr Philip Turner called Paul's death "tragic". He added: "I can't see anything obvious that my colleagues haven't done that I think they should have."

North Staffordshire coroner Ian Smith recorded a conclusion of death by natural causes. He noted that Paul did not have the abscess formation at the time of his surgery visit and he managed to sit up, with help, at 6pm.

"He went to sleep and a very significant event occurred which took his life. I don't think it is right to criticise anyone for what happened," Smith said.

Margaret Ryan, Paul's family's lawyer, said his family believed "lessons could be learned" from his death. She said they were looking into whether there is a civil claim to pursue.

Rachel said: "I am utterly devastated by Paul's death and so is my daughter. We loved him immensely.

"It is still hard to believe that he is gone and incredibly difficult to come to terms with the fact that I have lost my dear husband, who I expected to grow old with, and my daughter has lost her doting father."