‘If lessons aren’t learned, Chloe died in vain’: Mum’s distress at CQC warning ‘many children’ miss out on healthcare

Children and young people are being failed by the NHS in England, particularly around mental health services, according to the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) annual report.

The health watchdog, which is giving its assessment on the overall state of health and social care in England, said access to good and prompt care on the NHS “continues to be a struggle for many” patients.

It said many children and young people “are not currently getting the support they need” and the lack of care “risks failing their future”.

The CQC also raised “serious concerns” about mental health services for patients of all ages, but particularly for children where demand continues to rise and suffers from “problems with staffing and skills”.

In regards to urgent and emergency care, the report highlighted “low numbers of qualified staff – specifically children’s nurses – and gaps in staff training”.

It concluded there was a risk that “a deteriorating child might not be identified quickly, and patients at risk of sepsis not being assessed and treated promptly”.

Louise Longster is not surprised at the CQC’s findings. A coroner ruled that “neglect” and other failures contributed to the death of her 13-year-old daughter Chloe in 2022, who was admitted to Kettering General Hospital with sepsis and pneumonia.

She told Sky News: “There were numerous medics and nurses that were involved in Chloe’s care. And had any one of those units done the basics – not the ‘gold standard’ – the basics, then Chloe would probably still be here. And that is quite frightening.”

‘Lessons aren’t being learned’

Reflecting on today’s CQC report and comments during her daughter’s inquest, Ms Longster said: “Lessons aren’t being learned.

“We found that… probably the most distressing part, because Chloe then has died in vain.”

University Hospitals of Northamptonshire told Sky News: “We are sorry that we failed to offer Chloe the care she deserved – we should have done more. In the two years since Chloe died, our teams have worked hard to make significant improvements.”

The CQC report warns that, across England, “the safety and quality of some services is not good enough”.

Focusing on maternity services, it pointed out that women and babies from black and ethnic minority backgrounds have a higher risk of poor outcomes.

CQC chairman Ian Dilks said: “The health and wellbeing of a nation’s children has been described as the best predictor of its future prosperity; failing to ensure good, safe care for our children today also risks failing their future.”

Parents paying to go private

The watchdog also reported increasing problems accessing a dentist, creating pressure on parents to go private, and highlighted a rise in tooth extractions among children.

Parents told the CQC they “found it difficult to get appointments, even in emergencies, and we heard about children left in pain while waiting for an emergency appointment”.

Other concerns included: care for autistic people and wait times for diagnosis; social care backlogs causing delays to hospital discharges; long waits for GP appointments; and general inequalities in care – especially between the least and most deprived areas.

Young lives ‘blighted’ by care delays

Meanwhile, difficulties in recruiting mental health specialists have created a two-tier system in terms of access to care, according to the regulator.

It said it “remains a concern” that those who can afford to pay go private, while others are left languishing on long waiting lists.

Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers which represents NHS trusts, said: “Too many young lives are being blighted by delays to accessing care, including mental health.”

But Ms Cordery points out trusts are struggling “against a backdrop of soaring demand, resource pressures and the poor condition of the mental health estate, much of which isn’t fit for purpose”.

Reacting to the CQC report, Tom Madders, from the mental health charity YoungMinds, said: “What is devastating is that young people at the heart of this are being so severely let down. We hope that the government see this as a moment to take real action.”

While Hugh Alderwick, the Health Foundation’s director of policy, welcomed a national consultation on NHS changes but added that “ministers must avoid repeating mistakes of successive governments that promised social care reform then failed to deliver”.

An NHS England spokesperson said the CQC report “emphasises what staff and patients unfortunately already know too well, that right across the NHS, services are facing incredible pressure and capacity challenges with waits that are too long – particularly when it comes to the care of our children and young people”.

The spokesperson added despite treating “more young people than ever before”, there is “much more to do”.