Manchester Coroner’s Court finds that a young woman died after Wythenshawe Hospital failed to give her appropriate antibiotics to treat sepsis for more than 25 hours. 

A young woman in Manchester died as a result of what Manchester Coroner’s Court called “neglect” after doctors at Wythenshawe Hospital failed to give her appropriate antibiotics to treat sepsis for more than 25 hours.

Sharzia Bibi, 28, was admitted to the hospital’s emergency department at around 12:45 on 14 November 2023, complaining of severe stomach pain and bleeding.

Doctors there believed she may have a water or pelvic infection but did not consider she had sepsis – where the body attacks itself in response to an infection. This was despite her having a high heart rate and decreased functional ability.

A treatment plan for her to be given oral antibiotics was made. She did not receive these, however, for nine hours. More to the point, they were not suitable for her suspected and incorrect diagnosis and also contrary to hospital guidelines.

Following concerns about her condition the following morning, Bibi underwent emergency surgery at 12:30 on 15 November. It was only then that she was diagnosed with sepsis.

That evening she suffered a cardiac arrest and died in the early hours of the following morning.

Trust admitted liability

Following her death, her family and husband instructed expert medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate and secure answers. 

“Understandably her loved ones have had a number of questions about Sharzia’s care and whether more should have been done to help her,” said Sarah Sharples, senior associate solicitor at Irwin Mitchell. 

“Our own legal investigations, which resulted in the Trust admitting liability in a civil claim, and the inquest which concluded Sharzia died of neglect, have sadly validated those concerns,” she continued. 

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Wythenshawe Hospital, admitted liability for Bibi’s death in the civil claim. The Trust admitted that were it not for the failures in care, on the balance of probabilities, she would not have died when she did.

A separate inquest at Manchester Coroner’s Court concluded that Sharzia died of “neglect” following “gross failures” in her care.

Gross failings

Coroner James Lester-Ashworth made a number of findings of gross failings in the case which amounted to neglect.

These included a failure to consider sepsis when Sharzia was initially reviewed by a doctor and she was showing signs of the condition and a failure to provide the correct IV antibiotics for her possible diagnoses of a water or pelvic infection in line with the hospital Trust’s anti-microbial policy. Instead, oral antibiotics were prescribed.

Aside from the fact that the monitoring of Bibi’s fluid intake and urine output was inaccurate, there was also a nine-hour delay before antibiotics were prescribed and a delay of more than 25 hours in prescribing appropriate IV antibiotics. 

Given her emergency admission, the coroner said that the patient should have had observations every four hours, instead between 21:00 on 14 November and 06:14 the following day, no observations were undertaken.

“Nothing can ever make up for what’s happened, but we urge the Trust to reflect on this case and ensure patient safety is upheld at all times so other families don’t have to endure a similar trauma,” said Sharples.