The RUH in Bath has apologised after a coroner found that a computer system glitch led to the death of a 3-year-old boy.
Samuel Starr was born in 2010 with a congenital heart defect and underwent surgery at the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children soon after his birth.
After the surgery, he made a good recovery and follow-up appointments were scheduled at the RUH here in Bath.
The family were told at the time of his surgery he would need regular check-ups, however he did not receive a crucial scan of his heart until 20 months later.
A new booking system had been installed at the RUH, called Cerner Millennium, but it had not flagged to staff that Samuel was in need of the regular check-ups.
Avon Coroner Maria Voisin said that the delays in the scheduled check-ups had ‘disadvantaged’ his heart and that he required surgery and the ongoing check-ups to manage his condition.
“Due to the failure of the hospital outpatients booking system, there was a five month delay in Samuel being seen and receiving treatment.”
During emergency open heart surgery, the 3-year-old suffered a stroke.
After further complications, Samuel died in the arms of his parents a month later.
The RUH have released the following statement: “We offer our sincere condolences to the family of Samuel, and are very sorry for the delay in him being seen in the specialist outpatient clinic.
“As the Coroner noted following her narrative finding, we have already taken action to correct any issues relating to the booking of outpatient appointments.”
The inquest recorded a narrative conclusion.