Mother given wrong antibiotics died from sepsis

A young mother died from sepsis contributed to by NHS neglect after she was given the wrong antibiotics, a coroner has ruled.

Aleisha Rochester, 33, a bank cashier from Croydon, south London, died two weeks after undergoing a routine procedure to remove an abscess from her left armpit.

She had sought medical help several times for her worsening condition and been prescribed antibiotics - but not ones that could tackle the bacteria causing her infection.

Staff at St Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals also did not follow the NHS trust's own guidelines on administering antibiotics, assistant coroner Sian Reeves said. 

During an inquest in December, Reeves ruled that Rochester's death had been contributed to by neglect and she would most likely have lived if given the right antibiotics in time.

Rochester had undergone a routine day procedure at St Thomas' Hospital on 5 August 2023 to remove abscesses from her left armpit and groin but she became unwell and the wound to her left armpit became infected after 10 August, the coroner said.

After multiple GP and hospital visits, on 15 August antibiotics were prescribed "but not in line with St Helier Hospital's antimicrobial guidelines," the coroner wrote.

She added that the drugs did not provide effective coverage against a Gram-positive organism, which was the most likely pathogen causing the infection.

"Prior to selecting this combination of antibiotics, the surgical team did not consult with the hospital's microbiology team for advice."

The coroner ruled that, on 15 August, Rochester "should have been, but was not prescribed" the right antibiotics and if she had, she most likely would have survived. "Her death was contributed to by neglect," she said.

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 11 March 2026