Woman died from sepsis after routine operation

A fit and strong 20-year-old woman died from sepsis after a routine appendix operation, an inquest has heard.

Chloe Rideout was first treated at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth and later died at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro in October 2018.

Her mother, Sharon Rideout, told the coroner that "many people let her down" and raised several concerns about her treatment.

The inquest in Truro is due to last three days.

Mrs Rideout said the family was very concerned about the care her daughter received at Derriford Hospital, from the 111 out-of-hours GP service and 999 ambulance response to treatment at the Royal Cornwall Hospital.

A post-mortem examination concluded Ms Rideout, from Coverack in Cornwall, died from multi-organ failure due to sepsis and a perforated appendix post-operatively.

The 20-year-old was described as a "lovely person, a fit and well young lady" who at worked various jobs to save up to go travelling around the world.

Mrs Rideout told the inquest her daughter had felt unwell with "belly ache" and a friend had taken her to Derriford Hospital where she lay on the floor in agony for five hours before being admitted to a ward.

A week later doctors said Ms Rideout may have appendicitis.

Mrs Rideout said she had concerns over delays in surgery and "sepsis was never mentioned during her treatment".

The family said by 12 October the "doctors just wanted to send her home as quickly as possible" but by the next day Ms Rideout was still so unwell and in so much pain that she said "she felt like she was going to die".

She was discharged and the next day her mother called the 111 out-of-hours service and a nurse came to the house.

Mrs Rideout told the inquest 10 minutes after the nurse left she was so concerned that she called 999, but after three emergency calls it took an ambulance 90 minutes to arrive and then take Ms Rideout to the Royal Cornwall Hospital.

She said her daughter felt unsafe there and claimed there was an "incompetent nurse who did not want to be doing her job".

Ms Rideout was operated on several times but her kidneys began failing and her brain became starved of oxygen and blood. She died on 20 October.

Mrs Rideout said: "At no point was sepsis mentioned. This was the cause of her not recovering from surgery, becoming critically ill and dying."

The inquest continues.

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