Steve JamesThe daughter of a former Glamorgan and England cricketer could have been saved if she received the correct treatment, an inquest has heard.
Bethan James, 21, from Cardiff, died on 9 February 2020 and a post-mortem examination found her cause of death was a combination of sepsis, pneumonia and Crohn’s disease.
The inquest at Pontypridd Coroner’s Court heard she had been diagnosed with Crohn’s in the previous months.
Giving evidence on the first day of the inquest, Bethan’s mother Jane James, told the court she felt medical staff missed opportunities to treat her for sepsis.
The hearing was told that Ms James was admitted to hospital on a number of occasions in the days leading up to her death.
Jane James said she felt doctors and nursing staff had been dismissive of her daughter’s condition.
Family photoShe was admitted to hospital on 8 February after her condition worsened and she died the following day.
Her mum told the inquest that at no point was the possibility that her daughter had sepsis mentioned.
The inquest heard Bethan was first treated by a paramedic and then at the University Hospital of Wales (UHW) in Cardiff.
Ms James said she felt her daughter could have been saved if staff had given her the right care and treatment for sepsis, adding that it was “heartbreaking” to know her life could have been saved.
The inquest also heard from some of the medical staff who treated Bethan, including Dr Chen Wen Ngua who is a consultant at UHW.
In response to Bethan’s mother telling the court that she felt his manner had been dismissive, Dr Ngua apologised, saying that was not his intention.
Dr Mark Willis, a neurology specialist registrar at the time, treated Bethan on two occasions after she went to the A&E department at UHW.
He recommended that she could be discharged, following a number of tests, before retuning later that week.
Dr Willis was asked about a comment he made about a 17-year-old with similar symptoms who had made a full recovery.
He said that his intention was to be comforting and apologised if the comments were taken as being falsely reassuring.
Family photoThe final witness was Paul Humphrey, from the Welsh Ambulance Service, who attended Bethan’s home on 8 February.
He told the hearing that after taking some tests he contacted the control room as he was concerned about her condition.
When the ambulance crew arrived, he told them that she could be suffering from one of three conditions – sepsis, an infection or Addison’s disease.
When asked by the coroner if he would do anything differently Mr Humphrey said he would not, adding that he was “shocked” to hear what had happened.
Bethan’s father is Steve James, who was born in Gloucestershire and made his debut for Glamorgan in 1985.
He played for England twice in 1998 before announcing his retirement in 2004 after a longstanding knee injury and is now a journalist for the Times.
The inquest continues.
