Mum-of-two, 30, dies after being given 'staggered overdoses' of paracetamol in hospital

A month-long inquest into the death of a mum-of-two at a hospital has come to an end, with a coroner saying he found mistakes in her care did not amount to neglect.

Laura Higginson, 30, from Widnes, was admitted to Whiston Hospital with suspected pneumonia on April 5 2017, where she was given 'staggered overdoses' of paracetamol over a number of days before medics realised their mistake.

Coroner Simon Holder found the evidence provided during the inquest, which concluded at Bootle town hall on Monday, was unable to determine that the overdoses had contributed to the mum's death from sepsis on April 19.

Handing down a narrative conclusion, he said: "On the evidence I have heard, from April 5 to April 7 Laura Higginson was administered excess staggered doses of paracetamol while a patient at Whiston Hospital. It has not been proven, on the balance of probabilities, that this contributed to her death days later."

The court previously heard that Laura, who was 5ft 1ins tall and weighed six stones, had been given multiple doses of paracetamol which were too high for a woman of her size. On April 5, the day she attended hospital, she was given three 1g doses through an intravenous tube. This was repeated on April 6, and on April 7 she was given a final 500mg dose before medics realised their mistake and administered an antidote.

On April 7, Laura's condition rapidly worsened and she was rushed into ICU, where she was placed in an induced coma the following day. Her condition continued to deteriorate, and on April 18 her husband Anthony and children Steven, nine, and Evelyn, seven, were called to the hospital to say their goodbyes. She died on April 19 2017, with her cause of death being multi-organ failure with sepsis,