Parents of nine-year-old boy who died from sepsis after he was sent home from hospital say senior doctors should conduct face-to-face examinations for sick children before they are discharged

The parents of a nine-year-old boy who died from sepsis after he was sent home from hospital say senior doctors should conduct face-to-face examinations for sick children before they are discharged.Dylan Cope, nine, suffered a burst appendix which led to a sepsis infection spreading through his body - and a coroner later ruled that had he been kept in hospital to have his appendix removed, 'his death would have been avoided'.The schoolboy, from Newport, had visited his GP with severe stomach pain and was referred to A&E at Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran, south Wales, with suspected appendicitis where he was examined by a woman in dark blue scrubs.But little did his parents know that he was actually being treated by a paediatric nurse practitioner, Sam Hayden, who only later qualified as an advanced nurse practitioner (ANP).She discharged him with an advice sheet for flu after failing to read the referral note from the doctor.An inquest into Dylan's death found that had the duty registrar - a senior doctor in training - examined the boy, he would have remained in hospital longer and his death would have been avoided.Now Dylan's parents are pushing for all children admitted to A&E with a suspected serious illness to be examined by senior doctors before they are discharged from hospital.'We don't want to villainise any group of clinicians at all,' the boy's mother, Corinne Cope, said. 'We just want to keep children safe. It's too late for us, but it's not too late for others.' Dylan Cope, nine, pictured, died from sepsis after he was sent home from hospital His parents Corinne and Laurence Cope, pictured, say senior doctors should conduct face-to-face examinations for sick children before they are dischargedAlmost half of NHS trusts rely on advanced practitioners to fill rotas, according to data obtained by Freedom of Information requests, despite official guidance insisting they 'should never replace the role of doctors'.More than 11,300 advanced nursing and midwifery posts were recorded last year - more than three times more than in 2015.Substituting doctors with other healthcare professionals is putting patients 'at risk of harm or even death', the British Medical Association said in September.Ms Hayden did not read the GP referral warning of suspected appendicitis but told the inquest in May 2024 it 'wouldn't be unusual' to examine children without reading the referral - an admission Ms Cope described as 'shocking'.She admitted that she would have better understood Dylan's symptoms had she read the document. Caroline Saunders, the senior coroner for Gwent, said: 'I've heard no good reason why she did not consider this important document,' finding the omission 'below an acceptable standard of care'.She also found the practitioner's physical examination of Dylan 'inadequate'.Dylan's parents were told at the inquest that every child admitted to an A&E must receive a 'senior review' before being discharged - but this can include something as brief as a short conversation between staff.Senior registrar Dr Lianne Doherty said that Ms Hayden had told her that day that Dylan had flu, declining to mention suspicions of appendicitis – although Ms Hayden insisted she had brought up the boy's abdominal pain. The coroner preferred Dr Doherty’s account 'not least because Nurse Hayden had already downplayed the abdominal symptoms' in her witness statement and discharge letter.The Grange - which has been approached for comment - has since implemented reforms stipulating that children admitted to A&E by their GP must be examined by a senior doctor.Ms Cope welcomed this change but is pushing for the change to be introduced at more hospitals, adding that success on this front would be 'the one meaningful positive thing I could ever hope to come from his death'. The inquest in May 2024 was told that Dylan was 'a fit and healthy young boy' and 'enjoyed life and his family very much' but he fell ill after experiencing stomach pain at school and days later experienced vomiting and diarrhoea.Gwent Coroner's Court heard his parents assumed a bug was going around but took him to GP Dr Amy Burton on December 7, 2022 after an 'alarming episode of pain'.She referred him to the Grange Hospital in Cwmbran with suspected appendicitis after becoming concerned with the level of pain in his lower right abdomen.The hearing was told if Dylan had been referred to a surgeon that night, a surgeon would have diagnosed appendicitis and kept him in hospital. The schoolboy, from Newport in south Wales, had visited his GP with severe stomach pain and was referred to A&E with suspected appendicitisAt the end of the inquest in May 2024, Gwent coroner Ms Saunders recorded a narrative verdict saying Dylan had been 'erroneously discharged'.She said: 'His condition warranted further observation and assessment. The effects of sepsis proved overwhelming.'Dylan's death would have been avoided if he had not been erroneously discharged from the Grange University Hospital. His death was contributed to by neglect.'In her summing up, the coroner said the failure of Dylan to receive a senior review was due to a misunderstanding, not a system failure.The Daily Mail has contacted NHS England and the Welsh Government for comment.