A 12-year-old girl's life was tragically cut short after medical staff failed to diagnose a rare brain disorder that contributed to her death, an inquest has concluded.
Mia Lucas, from Sheffield, was sectioned under the Mental Health Act on New Year's Eve after displaying concerning behavior over Christmas, including hearing voices and attacking her mother. Despite being found to be experiencing an "acute psychotic episode", doctors at Nottingham's Queen's medical centre (QMC) ruled out a physical cause for her psychosis, leading them not to request further tests.
In the inquest, it was revealed that clinicians decided against performing a lumbar puncture, which could have potentially revealed autoimmune encephalitis - a rare condition that causes swelling of the brain. The failure to carry out this test meant that potential indicators of the disorder were missed, contributing to Mia's tragic fate.
The jury found that inadequate communication and management of risk between QMC and the Becton centre, where Mia was transferred, led to a failure to respond adequately to her risk of self-harm. Additionally, the rare presentation of autoimmune encephalitis posed complex challenges for diagnosis and care.
Mia's mother, Chloe Hayes, has spoken out about her devastating experience, stating that her daughter was "so badly let down" by medical staff at QMC who failed to diagnose the underlying condition. The family has also expressed outrage and grief over Mia's death, with Mrs Hayes vowing never to forgive the healthcare providers responsible.
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust has apologized for the failure to identify autoimmune encephalitis while Mia was in their care, acknowledging that further testing may have had an impact on her future.
Mia Lucas, from Sheffield, was sectioned under the Mental Health Act on New Year's Eve after displaying concerning behavior over Christmas, including hearing voices and attacking her mother. Despite being found to be experiencing an "acute psychotic episode", doctors at Nottingham's Queen's medical centre (QMC) ruled out a physical cause for her psychosis, leading them not to request further tests.
In the inquest, it was revealed that clinicians decided against performing a lumbar puncture, which could have potentially revealed autoimmune encephalitis - a rare condition that causes swelling of the brain. The failure to carry out this test meant that potential indicators of the disorder were missed, contributing to Mia's tragic fate.
The jury found that inadequate communication and management of risk between QMC and the Becton centre, where Mia was transferred, led to a failure to respond adequately to her risk of self-harm. Additionally, the rare presentation of autoimmune encephalitis posed complex challenges for diagnosis and care.
Mia's mother, Chloe Hayes, has spoken out about her devastating experience, stating that her daughter was "so badly let down" by medical staff at QMC who failed to diagnose the underlying condition. The family has also expressed outrage and grief over Mia's death, with Mrs Hayes vowing never to forgive the healthcare providers responsible.
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust has apologized for the failure to identify autoimmune encephalitis while Mia was in their care, acknowledging that further testing may have had an impact on her future.
, how can they not even consider a simple lumbar puncture?! 
it's just crazy that med staff missed the signs of autoimmune encephalitis... the mom's right to be mad 
my cousin's sister has that condition and she had to deal with so much drama too... anyway, gotta wonder if things would've turned out differently if they did more testing 
... I mean what's going on with these hospitals? Can't they see when something's not right? A 12-year-old girl's life was literally taken away by some medical staff not doing their job properly... autoimmune encephalitis is a rare condition, but that's no excuse for them not checking it out 
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just can't believe this 
poor girl's life was taken away due to medical mistakes 
I feel so angry on her behalf, how could they not have considered the possibility of something more serious going on? 
and what really grinds my gears is that it was all about communication (or lack thereof) between hospitals 
this should've been a lesson learned long ago, but sadly lives are lost because of it 
it's just not fair that medical staff messed up like this no one deserves to die because they didn't do their job properly the family is right they were totally let down by qmc and now her mum is left with this huge grief and anger i feel like this should be a lesson to everyone in the medical world to always prioritize caution and never give up on potential diagnoses especially when it comes to rare conditions like autoimmune encephalitis 
. It's clear that the system failed not only Mia but also her family, and I can only imagine how hard it must be for them to process everything 
... we need to make sure doctors are thinking outside the box and considering all possibilities when it comes to complex cases 
. And I'm so sorry for Chloe Hayes, who's had to go through this unimaginable grief 
... NHS trusts should be doing more to educate staff on rare conditions and how to recognize them 
. This tragedy is a wake-up call to make sure we're doing better for our patients 
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and it's just not right 
autoimmune encephalitis is like something out of a horror movie 
but clearly they weren't paying attention 
or communicating properly with each other 
because let's be real, this is a wake-up call 
I'm not sayin' that's what happened, but you can't just brush this off as an accident or a mistake. There's gotta be more to it than that... 
it's like they say "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" but in this case, it seems like they didn't even bother to try 
anyway, RIP Mia 
and my thoughts are with her mom Chloe 
. This could have been avoided if they'd taken the time to do a lumbar puncture... it's just basic medical procedure