The inquest has now closed with the coroner concluding that gross failure to provide medical treatment contributed to Oliver Hall’s death. The coroner will write a Prevention of Future Deaths report after the inquest highlighted a a failure in communication between NHS 111 and the ambulance service making clinical assessment more difficult, and the lack of an ambulance when one was requested by the doctor.
Six-year-old Oliver Hall died from Meningitis B less than 24 hours after first showing symptoms of the bacterial infection. Throughout the day his parents contacted the GP practice, paramedics and 111 NHS call service as his condition deteriorated, before being told to take him to hospital that evening. Despite the hospital staff’s best efforts, he passed away in the early hours of the following morning. Evidence has been heard that Oliver Hall would have survived if he had been diagnosed more quickly.
Rachel Marcus, instructed by Kashmir Uppal and Michael Burrell of Access Legal solicitors, is representing the family at this ongoing inquest. His parents are working to raise awareness of Meningitis B and promote extending the vaccination programme to include children above the age of one.
Visit the Oliver Hall Forever Fund here or see press links below:
- Access Legal Solicitors
- The BBC
- The Independent
- The Mirror
