Alder Hey Hospital accepts full responsibility for 24 failures in toddler death

Alder Hey Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has accepted full responsibility for 24 failures that led to the death of 21-month-old Eleanor Hazel Aldred-Owen, the BBC reported. Eleanor died at the Liverpool hospital on 2 October 2023 following routine skull surgery. [1]

A coroner concluded that Eleanor died as a result of misadventure, contributed to by neglect, according to the BBC. Eleanor underwent routine surgery for craniosynostosis, an external birth defect affecting the skull. However, medical staff failed to flag an abnormal chest X-ray. [1]

Following the unflagged abnormal scan, Eleanor suffered a cardiac arrest and an unsurvivable brain injury, the BBC reported. She died in the arms of her parents, who are from Mold in Flintshire. [1]

Her family stated that they have lived with unbearable guilt and trauma since her death, according to the BBC. Alder Hey Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust described her death as tragic and stated that it should not have occurred. [1]