Teenage girl died after doctor shortage left her without the expert desperately needed to save her

A teenage girl died after a shortage of specialist doctors meant she wasn't seen by an appropriate expert.

Katie Wilkins, 14, from Warrington, died at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in July 2020 amid a national shortage of haematology specialists. An inquest held into her death raised concerns that 'neglect' in her care contributed to the death.

Katie's treatment should also have been led by a haematologist but a national shortage of specialists in this field meant Alder Hey could not ensure this, the coroner said.

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Katie visited Warrington Hospital multiple times in October before she collapsed at home on October 26. She was taken to hospital again where she had blood tests, CheshireLive reports.

She was transferred to Alder Hey where she was diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukaemia (APML) and associated coagulopathy - a bleeding disorder. Katie's condition continued to deteriorate and she suffered a catastrophic intracerebral haemorrhage on July 29.

Despite undergoing emergency surgery on July 29, she did not recover. She was pronounced dead two days later on July 31.

During an inquest held last year, concerns were raised about both Warrington Hospital and Alder Hey's care of Katie. Assistant coroner for Liverpool and Wirral Kate Ainge concluded that this 'neglect' contributed to her death.

Katie's treatment for the coagulopathy was led by an oncology consultant. Ms Ainge said that it should have been led by a haematologist but that a national shortage of specialists in this field meant Alder Hey could not ensure this.

In a prevention of future deaths report published on Monday (February 20), Ms Ainge