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Girl, 12, Died After Medical Staff Missed Rare Brain Disorder
28 Nov
Summary
- A 12-year-old girl died after undiagnosed autoimmune encephalitis caused psychosis.
- Inquest found medical staff failed to perform tests that could have revealed the condition.
- Failure to diagnose and treat the rare brain disorder possibly contributed to her death.
A 12-year-old girl, Mia Lucas, died after medical staff failed to detect a rare autoimmune encephalitis that caused her 'acute psychosis.' An inquest concluded that the failure to conduct a lumbar puncture at Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre (QMC) meant potential indicators of the condition were missed, possibly contributing to her death.
The information passed between QMC and Sheffield's Becton Centre provided an inappropriate level of assurance that organic causes for Mia's psychosis had been ruled out. The jury also found that insufficiently robust communication and risk management at the Becton Centre led to an inadequate response to Mia's risk of self-harm.
Mia's mother expressed devastation, stating her daughter was badly let down by healthcare providers who wrongly dismissed her psychosis as purely mental. She believes her daughter was not treated for her condition, leading to a tragic loss of life due to these significant failings.
