Failure to diagnose meningitis

XYZ v Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust [2016] EWHC 2687 (QB)

Counsel: For the claimant: Christopher Gibson QCFor the defendant: Alexander Antelme QCSolicitors: For the claimant: Leigh DayFor the defendant: Weightmans LLP

The failure to diagnose pneumococcal and meningococcal disease does tend to lead to clinical negligence claims despite the acknowledged difficulty in diagnosis. In the case outlined here, a doctor was found not to have been negligent in failing to administer intravenous antibiotics to a child who was subsequently diagnosed with pneumococcal meningitis, as the disease was asymptomatic at the time of examination and review, so that the clinical picture did not suggest the need for a blood test which would have shown the need for particular treatment.