When Ava Hodgkinson was taken to the GP on December 13 in 2022 with a chesty cough her parents Adam and Jade had every confidence their daughter would receive the care she needed.
However, due to a national outbreak of Strep A – Group A Streptococcus – pharmacies across the country were experiencing a shortage of first-line antibiotic phenoxymethylpenicillin, so their the GP prescribed amoxicillin. But when Adam went to Banks Pharmacy to collect the prescription he was told the correct dosage was also out of stock.
It was only the following morning that a new prescription was available to be collected but just a few hours after taking her first dose Ava deteriorated and, as mum Jade carried her into A&E at Ormskirk & District General Hospital, the two-year-old went into cardiac arrest and tragically died.
An inquest held this week heard that the government is “actively considering” making changes to legislation which would allow pharmacists to dispense alternative denominations of medications if that which was originally prescribed isn’t available.
Area Coroner Chris Long revealed he plans to send a Report to Prevent Future Deaths to Health Secretary Wes Streeting to understand when and how this legislation can be changed. Currently, pharmacists are only allowed to prescribe an alternative denomination if the government has issued a Serious Shortage Protocol relating to medications which are low or out of stock.
After the inquest, Ava’s parents Adam and Jade from Banks near Southport released a heart-breaking statement, in which they described their daughter as having “the most purest of souls”.
“There are not enough words to express the magnitude of pain and devastation we feel as a family at the loss of our beautiful daughter, Ava Grace,” they said.
“Ava radiated beauty both inside and out – the most purest of souls; gentle, kind and loving and whose love for nature, wildlife and those around her shone through.
“Comfort is very difficult to come by, but we take some from the light that has been shone on Strep A, its potentially devastating consequences, and the need for urgent treatment to be available when a child needs it. Ava was let down by the shortage of antibiotics and this should never happen again to any other child.”
Ava with her mum Jade
Ava’s parents were supported and represented by specialist medical negligence lawyers throughout the inquest process.
Bryony Doyle, a specialist medical negligence solicitor at JMW who represented Ava’s parents through the inquest, said: “Jade and Adam have showed incredible strength and bravery in the face of unimaginable pain, which they and Ava’s siblings will carry for the rest of their lives.
“The inquest process, whilst harrowing for the family, has helped to piece together what happened to Ava and provided some of the answers they were seeking. I hope Ava’s story will see changes made that can protect other patients and ensure that patients can access antibiotics as soon as possible following prescription.
“We are grateful to the jury for considering Ava’s treatment so carefully, and the coroner’s investigation which will hopefully go some way to preventing other families from suffering as Ava’s has.”
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