Hunter Martin: Jury finds baby should not have been discharged

Following an inquest at Chesterfield Coroner’s Court, a jury concluded Hunter died due to sepsis and Group A Streptococcus infection linked to chicken pox.

In addition, it was found his death was contributed to by the decision to discharge him from hospital on 4 March 2023.

The inquest identified two occasions where Hunter’s condition could have been escalated sooner to critical care.

He was eventually transferred to Sheffield Children’s Hospital two days after his parents, from New Whittington, first took their son to Chesterfield Royal Hospital Accident and Emergency. Hunter died after suffering three cardiac arrests.

He had been mistakenly given an overdose of antibiotics, ten times the prescribed amount on five occasions when he was brought back to Chesterfield by his worried parents – the day after he had initially been discharged.

The jury heard instead of the recommended dose of 94mg of Clindamycin, Hunter received 940mg.

Coroner Peter Nieto directed the jury there was not enough evidence to show that mistake more than “minimally” contributed to Hunters death.

Speaking after the inquest, his parents said they felt “massively let down” by the hospital over their son’s death.

Hunter’s father Alex Martin said: “We are always going to be left wondering what impact this [antibiotic] actually had, because we’ve not had any solid answer on that. It’s what if?”

His mother Jade Smith said: “It’s heartbreaking, and to relive it all for a week, just to find out what we already knew.”