Jax Jefferys: Doctor says there was 'no cause for concern' during appointment days before boy, five, died of Strep A, inquest hears
An inquest has heard that a doctor saw no cause for concern in Jax Jefferys' case days before his tragic death from Strep A
There was no ‘obvious cause for concern’ during a GP appointment days before a five-year-died after contracting Strep A, a doctor has told a coroner’s court.
An inquest into the death of Jax Jefferys started at Winchester Coroner’s Court on Monday, June 8. The young boy died of Group A Streptococcal (Strep A) on December 1, 2022.
The court, which has an 11-person jury due to the death being caused by a notifiable disease, heard how Jax first started experiencing symptoms on November 28 when he woke in the early hours of the morning with a coughing fit. His panicked mum, Charlene McCormack, gave him multiple puffs of his reliever inhaler, but when his coughing continued, she rang 999.
Within 20 minutes, paramedics attended the Waterlooville home where Jax seemed to “perk up” with the emergency responders who advised Ms McCormack to monitor her son and visit the GP if his cough persisted.
The mother-of-four took Jax to school the next morning at his request but when he was sent home at lunchtime, she got in touch with her local GP - Southbourne Surgery - which advised her to visit the practice.
“He was so weak that I carried him into the surgery. I described the cough as a barking cough and told the GP he wasn’t eating or drinking”, Ms McCormack added.
Eric Wilkinson, general practice partner at Southbourne Surgery, told the court on Monday that Jax and his mum had a consultation with physician associate, Olivia Sunderland, on November 29 where it was determined he had croup. As duty doctor that day, Mr Wilkinson, was also asked to assess Jax.
He said: “I saw Olivia - she told me that she had seen Jax with his mum and that he had a cough that might be croup. He was clearly unwell - a runny nose, watery eyes and he was tired from the night before but he was interacting and aware. I wanted to assess there was no obvious sign of pneumonia so I examined Jax as he sat on mum’s lap. His chest sounded quite normal, there was no obvious wheeze and no crackling. There was no obvious cause for concern or red flags.
“My recollection of the consultation is unusually well preserved. Not because it was an unusual appointment but because finding out four days later a child you saw had died - it was a complete shock, completely unexpected outside the normal risk, so that has had the impact of making some of those memories of the consultation much more vivid than they would have been because without this tragic turn of events it would have just been a normal consultation on a Monday evening.”
During the appointment, which lasted approximately half an hour, it was also determined there was no sign of tonsillitis.
Mr Wilkinson said he had a “mild case of croup” and was prescribed a three-day course of steroids, but he continued by explaining “it didn’t surprise him” the treatment failed to improve Jax’s condition after being made aware of the Strep A infection in his system.
“We have no access to rapid Strep A tests in primary care”, he added.
Ms McCormack told the court she was “very concerned” about Jax’s high heartrate and oxygen levels.
She said: “He looked atrocious. He looked really poorly. He was sad and miserable.
“I believe he was barely conscious. I don’t think I was listened to, I asked to change the doctor because I didn’t think I was being listened to. The doctor was trying to talk to a five-year-old who was barely conscious and not listening to me so I asked to change doctors before the Influenza A swabs. I fought back initially because they said they believed he had tonsillitis but I didn’t believe that.”
During their time in hospital, a nurse noted Jax had a rash on his body, which was deemed a heat rash due to his high temperature, and after being told he had Influenza A, Jax went home, with the outcome of his bloods revealing he was showing signs of dehydration.
“He slept on the sofa because that was where he was the most comfortable. The next day he was on the sofa.”
On the evening of December 1, 2022, Jax complained of being unable to feel his legs, prompting his parents to race him to hospital but during the short drive, he became unresponsive and Ms McCormack had to do CPR. Jax arrived at QA Hospital at 8.37pm but despite medical intervention, he died two hours later.
In a statement, Ms McCormack said: “When Jax died, my heart was taken away. He was my only little boy. He was such a wanted and loved child. Jax was unforgettable - everyone had a story about him. He was an amazing boy.”
The inquest is set to continue throughout the week.