The parents of a four-year-old boy who died of sepsis in hospital says that doctors missed a key chance to save his life.
Lindita Alushi, 44, and Kastriot Klosi, 50, took Daniel Klosi, from Kentish Town, to the Royal Free Hospital in London four times in the week before his death in 2023.
But the family was sent home on three occasions - allegedly with instructions to give Daniel the medicine Calpol.
It was only on the fourth visit to A&E that doctors admitted him to the children's emergency department.
But by the time he was finally looked at, his condition had rapidly deteriorated and he died a few hours later, in the early hours of April 2 last year.
During the inquest into the death, which concluded last month, coroner Mary Elizabeth Hassell said Daniel, who had autism, came in with an "atypical" presentation of sepsis and there was a "lack of recognition" of how to view the needs of a neurodivergent child.
Now, on World Sepsis Day (September 13), Daniel's parents are campaigning for greater awareness on how to care for neurodivergent children with the life-threatening condition.
They hope to introduce 'Daniel's Rule' in their son's memory.
Mum Lindita, a qualified doctor in her native Albania, said: “To lose Daniel in the way we did will haunt us forever.
"He was our beloved boy and for him to be taken away so suddenly and cruelly is something we’ll never get over.
“Hearing that Daniel could have been saved at a time when we were worried and trying to get the medical staff to listen to our concerns is difficult to accept.
“The parents of children with conditions such as autism know them best.
"We know their behaviour and their routines and can speak for them when they may not be able to speak for themselves.”
She hopes that all health professionals will be able to suspect sepsis from early on and start appropriate treatment at the earliest opportunity.
The mum added: “Our lives will never be the same without Daniel. All the happiness, joy, and fun has been sucked out of us and we’re now just existing rather than living.
“We fear that what happened to Daniel could happen to other children with autism and other conditions unless meaningful action is taken.
“There needs to be change so other children don’t have to endure what Daniel did.”
Dr Ron Daniels, founder and joint CEO of the charity UK Sepsis Trust, said that hospital workers need to “get much better” at listening to parents to prevent “future avoidable tragedies”.
A Royal Free London spokesperson said: "We are deeply sorry that Daniel died while under our care and would like to share our heartfelt condolences with his family and loved ones.
"Following a thorough investigation, we identified a number of areas for improvement, and measures were taken to immediately address these.
"This included improving training and awareness for all of our staff, particularly in relation to children who repeatedly visit our emergency departments; how we care for children with learning disabilities; and the importance of listening to parents and carers when they raise concerns.
“We will continue to do all we can to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of sepsis among all of our staff."
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