Her devastated mum claims her little girl was effectively “sent home to die”
A six-year-old girl tragically died less than three hours after being sent home from hospital. Shen’iyah Green, from Enfield, north London, was taken to A&E on January 11, 2019, with symptoms including shortness of breath, fever, vomiting, and pain in her right leg.
Her mum Shanieka says she repeatedly flagged to doctors that her daughter had sickle cell disease. However, she says medics failed to recognise the links with her symptoms and misdiagnosed her as having gastroenteritis. Unconvinced, Shanieka asked medics to conduct further tests – but they assured her that her daughter was “fine” and discharged her, it is claimed.
Shen’iyah was dead by 8pm, less than three hours later. Her devastated mum claims her little girl was effectively “sent home to die”.
Earlier this month, a heartbreaking inquest concluded that neglect by the NHS Trust hospital in Greater London had contributed to Shen’iyah’s death. Now, her family is seeking answers about what happened – in the hope that no one else has to suffer the same fate.
Shanieka, who has been diagnosed with PTSD after her daughter’s death, said: “This was wholly avoidable. Shen’iyah was only six years old and deserved so much better than being sent home to die. She had sickle cell disease which meant she should be treated under specialist sickle cell protocols – but this did not happen and she has paid the ultimate price.
“She did not receive the care she needed and deserved. I know my daughter better than anyone and I was not listened to. I asked for blood tests, I asked for a second opinion, I repeatedly raised my concerns that something was badly wrong. But I was told she was fine and to go home. She fell asleep on the car journey home and never woke up again.”
When Shen’iyah fell asleep in the car Shanieka desperately tried to perform CPR. Paramedics attempted resuscitation for approximately an hour and the six-year-old was rushed back to hospital. Tragically, their attempts ultimately proved unsuccessful.
Shanieka said: “When Shen’iyah was rushed back to hospital, the same triage nurse and doctor were there who had seen her earlier that day. This made me very angry. Why didn’t they listen to me earlier when I begged them to?”
North London Coroner’s Court heard that three critical errors contributed to Shen’iyah’s death. These included the failure to obtain a blood sample, the failure to document the cause of abdominal tenderness, and the failure to admit her to hospital, according to SWNS.
Medics also did not consider the complexities of Shen’iyah’s sickle cell disease – despite it being clearly documented in her medical records and Shanieka repeatedly flagging it. Shen’iyah even had an NHS ‘pink passport’ – a personalised document that provides healthcare professionals with essential information about a patient’s needs.
An NHS serious Incident report highlighted that Shen’iyah’s observations “were not completely within normal limits” and “more information was needed” before discharging her. Shen’iyah’s cause of death was given as splenic sequestration – a rare but recognised complication of sickle cell disease in which red blood cells become trapped in the spleen and cause enlargement and reduced blood volume.
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The report acknowledged this is “a rare diagnosis for a six-year-old child with sickle cell disease and therefore may not have been considered” – but said it may have been picked up if the child was in hospital. Mum-of-four Shanieka says she continues to be haunted by the fact that she was allegedly not listened to by doctors.
She said: “I do not want another family ever to go through an ordeal like this: to feel such unbearable pain and to be haunted by the memories of having to do CPR on your dying daughter – having been assured only shortly before that she was fine and well enough to go home. Families need to be listened to and their fears and concerns for their child taken seriously.
“Children must also receive the care that is right for them, particularly in cases where they have specific medical conditions which warrant specialist attention. There can be no excuses for Shen’iyah’s death – but we only hope that lessons are learned from it so this can never, ever happen to another child.”
A spokesperson for the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust said: “We would like to extend our deepest condolences to Shen’iyah Green’s family and to express how profoundly sorry we are that she died after being discharged from hospital.
“Following Sheni’yah’s death in 2019, we carried out a full investigation and have since introduced a number of improvements to the care provided to children with sickle cell disease. This includes ensuring all patients receive a full blood count test and a complete set of observations before being discharged home.”