A heartbroken Sydney family is calling for an independent investigation into Northern Beaches Hospital after the death of their “beautiful” two-year-old son, Joe.
Elouise and Danny Massa took Joe to the emergency department at Northern Beaches Hospital on the morning of September 14 after he had spent the night vomiting.
The toddler had hypovolemia, a condition that occurs when the body loses too much fluid.
His parents allege the Northern Beaches hospital failed their son “at every level” and he would be alive today were it not for the improper care he received.
In a statement provided to 9news.com.au, the parents said Joe’s heart rate was at 183 beats per minute when they arrived at the hospital’s emergency department, yet he was misclassified as a low priority, category three patient, instead of red zone, category two.
The Northern Beaches hospital missed critical warning signs, including when Joe lost consciousness, and his mother’s requests for an IV drip were denied, the statement said.
“I can’t tell you what it’s like to hold your son in your arms … to be told to sit in your chair while your child is agitated, going in and out of consciousness, lips are turning blue,” Mrs Massa told 2GB this morning.
“To be told to wait and have your baby literally dying in your arms is unfathomable and should not be happening at any hospital.”
Joe was left in an emergency department chair for two-and-a-half hours and not hooked up to monitoring equipment even after he was given a room, his mother said.
A serious adverse event review conducted by the hospital after Joe’s death identified multiple failures.
The report found there was a “delay and failure to recognise deterioration” in Joe’s health.
The report also acknowledged the failure to recognise and respond to a heart rate in the red zone, particularly in the absence of fever, the failure to respond to parental concern and the failure to respond to clinician concern as per internal escalation processes.
Healthscope, which operates the hospital, said in a statement: “Northern Beaches Hospital offers its deepest condolences to the Massa family for the loss of their son, Joe. We recognise Joe’s death has caused unimaginable heartache and grief for the family.
“We have met with the family to apologise and hear directly about their tragic experience and to discuss the findings of the Serious Adverse Event Review.
“We will continue to support the family in any way that we can as we implement the improvements identified in the review, including improvements around triaging processes and internal escalation processes.”
Joe’s mother said no parents should have to go through what she and her husband had.
“Joe was the most beautiful boy, loved by his sister and brother,” she said.
“He loved dinosaurs. He had the most infectious smile. He was just two months off turning two years old.
“He was, and is still, the light of our world. The system at Northern Beaches Hospital, the emergency department, entirely failed us at every possible level.”
