Jack Adcock inquest: Heart attack 'preventable'
A six-year-old boy could have been prevented from having a heart attack if he had been given appropriate treatment, an inquest has heard.
Jack Adcock, from Glen Parva, who had Down's syndrome, died after being admitted to Leicester Royal Infirmary on 18 February 2011.
Dr Gale Pearson, from Birmingham Children's Hospital, told an inquest that staff should have recognised he was in shock and used antibiotics.
He later died of pneumonia.
Another expert witness, Sue Chapman, from Great Ormond Street Hospital, told the inquest at Leicester Town Hall, that Jack's care on the day was "inadequate".
She said: "For a child to be unresponsive when a needle is placed in them shows the child is very, very unwell."
The inquest also heard that Jack was later sitting up and drinking. When asked if she thought this would have led staff to be wrongly reassured? She replied "yes".
Earlier, the inquest heard from a nurse responsible for Jack's care.
Isabelle Amara admitted she did not do enough to care for him before his death.
She admitted not filling in paperwork properly relating to Jack's observations and not doing enough to raise concerns with senior staff about his health.
Coroner Catherine Mason asked her: "As Jack's named nurse what was your responsibility to him that day?"
"To take care of him. To raise all my concerns," Ms Amara said.
"I should have escalated my concerns in a way that I would have been heard - I've learned from this. I've learned a lot from this."
The coroner asked Ms Amara, who wiped tears from her eyes and fought to keep her voice from breaking with emotion: "Did you meet Jack's needs that day?"
"No," Ms Amara replied.
The coroner has now adjourned the inquest after a request from legal representatives for the medical staff to seek further guidance.
No date has yet been set for the inquest to resume.