“FOR them it might be the end of it, but it is not for me.”
Those were the words of mum Sacha-Lee Roberts after the inquest into the death of her son, Sean-Paul Roberts-Woodford, concluded on Thursday, July 25.
Eleven-year-old Sean-Paul died at home in Milford Haven on January 11, 2018, only 24-hours after a visit to the GP with his dad Mark Woodford.
Sean-Paul had complex medical needs, including cerebral palsy, and could not walk or talk.
At the inquest on July 25, Gareth Lewis, assistant coroner for Pembrokeshire, concluded Sean-Paul died from bronchiolitis and bronchopneumonia in a child with influenza or parainfluenza.
Sacha-Lee Roberts and Mark Woodford.
He said: “While expert evidence suggests there should have been a more thorough examination by a GP, it is unclear whether admittance to hospital would have prevented Sean-Paul’s death.”
Mr Lewis referred to expert evidence by Professor Parviz Habibi, who said Sean-Paul could have contracted the flu as little as a day or two before his death.
Professor Habibi suggested Sean-Paul would likely have been referred to hospital if a more thorough check-up had been made by his GP.
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Expert evidence given by Dr Andrew James Burton on July 5 suggested that a more thorough examination of Sean-Paul should have been carried out.
But in his conclusion, Mr Lewis said on the balance of probabilities, being referred to hospital would have given Sean-Paul a 50-50 chance of survival at best.
“I know my son would have survived. I know that in my heart,” said Sacha-Lee following the conclusion.
“Maybe it would have only been for a few months, or a few more years, but we could have still had him here with us,” she added.
In the course of the inquest, it was found that Mark and Sacha-Lee’s request for their son to have a nasal spray flu jab instead of an injection had been recorded as a refusal in the computer system of his GP surgery, Barlow House.
“We clearly stated he has had a lifetime of pricks and prongs, so we wanted him to have a nasal spray jab,” said Sacha-Lee.
Barlow House Surgery has since corrected the computer fault which meant that Sean-Paul’s name had been erased from a list of patients described as at high-risk of infection by flu.
Sacha-Lee and Mark both said they feel disappointed by some of the social care and medical professionals who had tried to help Sean-Paul over the years.
“I feel like they were hearing my words, but they were not listening to them,” said Sacha-Lee.
Sean-Paul Roberts-Woodford. PICTURE: Sacha-Lee Roberts.
She warned others to be as forthright as possible with medical professionals when it came to their children’s health.
“If people know something is wrong, they need to make sure they have the right medicine for their child before they leave the room with the doctor.
“Demand a full check,” said Sacha-Lee.
Mark and Sacha-Lee are now seeking further legal advice.
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Tributes to Sean-Paul from his family in 2018
Remembering their son, Sacha-Lee said: “He was the best child. His smile was bigger than the whole world. We tried for years to have a baby boy and when I did, he was taken away.”
“He used to love playing with his sisters. His older sister used to play music through her phone and hold it to his chest so he could feel the vibrations. He should be out there playing with them now,” she added.
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