Jessica Bonner – Avoidable Death from Sepsis

Although sepsis is one of the most common illnesses in the developed world, all too often, it is not recognised and treated as quickly as it should be, resulting in devastating consequences.

A tragic example of this is the avoidable death of Jessica Bonner, a 51 year old mum from Edgbaston in Birmingham. Jessica had many years of life to live and when she attended the Good Hope Hospital, which is part of the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, on 5 October 2023 for a hysterectomy, she expected it to improve her quality of life. However, during the operation, her bowel was cut but this was not recognised until days later. She began experiencing a fever and severe abdominal pain soon after the surgery, having developed sepsis.

Ms Bonner was not examined by a doctor for hours, resulting in the cause of the sepsis not being recognised soon enough. She eventually received emergency surgery three days later, but it was sadly too late and she passed away that morning.

Inquest into Death

An inquest into her death concluded that her death may have been avoidable if the source of her sepsis had been identified sooner, and a safety investigation report identified multiple missed opportunities to do so.

Speaking on behalf of the family, her son Corey stated, ‘I didn’t see this coming at all. To hear of the issues she faced in hospital has just added to our upset, particularly finding out it is likely that she would have survived had the injury been found sooner.’

Ms Bonner is remembered by her family as bubbly and happy, and that her presence lit up the room.

Responding to the findings of the Inquest, the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust have said, ‘Jessica should have received a much greater level of care from our trust. We are committed to learning, and we will continue to work to improve the care and safety of our services so that no other family endures the pain that Jessica’s loved ones now face.’

Pressure on the NHS

The Chief Executive of UK Sepsis Trust, Ron Daniels, linked the increase in sepsis-related deaths to the overall general pressure that the NHS is under.

Sepsis is an infection of the blood system that affects approximately 245,000 people in the UK every year. If treated promptly, most people can be expected to make a full recovery, although this may take time. If, however, as with the case of Ms Bonner, sepsis is not treated promptly, it can turn to septic shock, organ failure and sometimes death.

At Williamsons, our team has significant experience at pursuing claims involving misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of sepsis. We appreciate that no amount of money would ever truly compensate families after losing a loved one, but we recognise that, by bringing a claim, we can get much needed answers as to why it happened and how it can be prevented in the future.

If you choose Williamsons to support you with bringing a claim, our Clinical Negligence experts may also be able to assist with an inquest, including potentially arranging representation for you.

To speak to our team in respect of a potential Sepsis claim, call 01482 323697 or contact us via our online enquiry form.