Health and Disability Commissioner: Boy, 4, dies in hospital from sepsis days after falling from bike

A 4-year-old boy who had fallen off his bike died in a hospital emergency department several days later after clinicians failed to quickly recognise he had developed sepsis.

The boy died in Wellington Hospital in September 2022.

The Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC), in a report released today, has found there were a number of deficiencies in the care provided to the boy across multiple departments at the hospital, run by Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora .

Deputy commissioner Vanessa Caldwell said the delays in recognising and treating sepsis in the boy amounted to a breach of the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights.

“I acknowledge that [the boy’s] presentation was challenging and his condition deteriorated rapidly,” Caldwell said.

“I also acknowledge that it is not possible to know whether earlier intervention could have altered the tragic outcome.