Doctor watched ‘fit and healthy’ son die in hospital where she worked

The 22-year-old contracted meningitis, which was caused by an infection. This later turned into sepsis and he died within 24 hours of arriving at the hospital.

The sporty 6′ 6″ young man, who studied History and Politics at the University of Leeds, was said to have been fit and healthy before the infection.

William Hewes contracted meningitis, which then developed into sepsis

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An inquest was due to begin at Poplar coroner’s court yesterday but it has now been adjourned to February 13.

Burns, who has worked at the hospital for more than 20 years, said that her concerns “were not listened to”.

She said before the hearing: “I was present throughout his admission. I witnessed him receiving inadequate care despite my raising concerns. I was not listened to at the time and I watched him die.

“Since then, I have met with almost two years of resistance and lack of engagement. This has taken a terrible toll on me and my family and added another layer of pain to our grief.

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William Hewes (right, with his three siblings) was studying history and politics at university

Family handout

“All I was asking was for an open, honest and thorough investigation to take place so that vital lessons could be learnt from William’s death. I have a personal moral duty and professional obligation to act on what I witnessed.

“The added dimension is that it is my workplace. I wanted to help prevent what happened to William happening to other young people, to give them the best chances of survival to be able to continue to live their lives, to contribute to society, to love and be loved, as William very much was.”

The 63-year-old wants the inquest to look into whether there were any delays in her son’s care which could have resulted in his death.

Dr Ron Daniels, the chief medical officer of the UK Sepsis Trust and an expert witness for the family at the inquest, said that the inquest also needs to examine if medical staff listened to Burns’ advice.

He said: “Dr Burns is an experienced consulting paediatrician. If any health professional knows about meningitis, it is a paediatrician, and she recognised symptoms compatible with meningitis in her son [and] communicated to the hospital that she was worried about this.

“The inquest will try to ascertain whether life-saving treatments, including antibiotics, were delivered in the right time.”

Burns, who has worked at the hospital for more than 20 years, said that her concerns ‘were not listened to’

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The 22-year-old was at home in Highgate, north London, when he became unwell in January 2023.

Kate Rohde, a lawyer at Fieldfisher who represents the family, said: “It is difficult to understand how an organisation to which Deborah dedicated her life as a paediatrician could so profoundly let her and her son down.

“If Deborah, an experienced paediatrician, was not listened to, what hope do other parents have of getting doctors to hear their concerns?

“We cannot keep giving stories to the press about mismanagement of sepsis and see no change in how medical staff react. We now call on the trust to listen, to learn and to improve – otherwise, what else can we do?”

Homerton Hospital said in a statement that it has taken “appropriate steps” since the 22-year-old’s death to continue to reinforce awareness of suspected sepsis in patients at A&E.

“Losing a child is an unimaginable tragedy, and our hearts go out to Dr Burns and her family during this devastating time,” the statement said.

“We extend our deepest condolences and want to acknowledge the profound impact this loss has had on Dr Burns and her family.

“As a member of our consultant paediatric medical team, Dr Burns has always been a much admired and respected member of our staff at Homerton.

“We have reached out to Dr Burns on a number of occasions over the past 22 months and will continue to do so.”