The key facts
- CQC is prosecuting Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust under health and safety law — three charges linked to the deaths of two children from sepsis
- Zeydi Ajetunmobi died within 10 hours of hospital admission in November 2022; antibiotics were given only after more than seven hours
- Selina Samarina was sent home in April 2024 by a 'very young doctor'; she died two days after being readmitted
Prosecution of the trust
An NHS trust that runs Broomfield Hospital in Essex is to be prosecuted over the deaths of two children who had sepsis, the BBC reported. The case was brought by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) under the Health and Social Care Act. According to court documents, the girls' care and treatment allegedly 'was not provided in a safe way'. Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust (MSE) will appear before Chelmsford Magistrates' Court, where pleas on three charges are expected on 3 December.
Death of Zeydi Ajetunmobi
Two charges relate to three-year-old Zeydi Ajetunmobi, who was brought to Broomfield on 10 November 2022 with a temperature of 40 °C and died within 10 hours after suffering a cardiac arrest. A post-mortem examination found she died from complications related to sepsis. A potentially life-saving dose of intravenous antibiotics was not given to her for more than seven hours. MSE previously told the family that staff had not updated local sepsis guidance since 2017. Her parents, Theo and Rhiannon, called their daughter 'a beautiful girl' and said: 'This is a tragedy we will never recover from.'
Death of Selina Samarina
The third charge concerns two-year-old Selina Samarina, who had Down's syndrome. On 7 April 2024 she was brought to Broomfield with a fever, a rash and agitation. The sepsis protocol was activated on her first admission, but, according to senior coroner Stephen Simblet KC at the inquest, a doctor of the appropriate level appeared only two and a half hours later, and before that the girl was sent home by a 'very young doctor'. Two days later her parents took her back to hospital, and she died there.
The trust's response
MSE group chief executive Adam Sewell-Jones said: 'We are working closely with the CQC in its investigation. As legal proceedings are ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.'
Image source, Family handout
Zadie Ajetunmobi was described as a "beautiful little girl" by her parents
Image source, Stuart Woodward/BBC
Zadie Ajetunmobi died at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford in November 2022
