Nicky Hillier, 50, Falls Comatose With Meningitis After NHS 111 Allegedly Advised Paracetamol
Updated
Updated · The Mirror · May 30
Nicky Hillier, 50, Falls Comatose With Meningitis After NHS 111 Allegedly Advised Paracetamol
1 articles · Updated · The Mirror · May 30
Hours after an NHS 111 call on March 18, Swindon HR worker Nicky Hillier, 50, was found unconscious and barely breathing, then placed on life support with bacterial meningitis.
Her sister said Hillier had reported 5 days of fever, severe sweating, headache, vomiting and being unable to get out of bed, but was allegedly told to take paracetamol after failing to secure a GP appointment.
Doctors said the infection was streptococcus pneumoniae that spread from her spinal cord to her brain; Hillier was brought out of a 2-day coma on March 21.
She has since been left deaf, with Bell's palsy, impaired mobility and communication problems, and relatives have launched a GoFundMe as she cannot work.
Practice Plus Group, which provides NHS 111 services in some areas, said it was sorry to hear of the illness and urged the family to raise concerns so the call could be reviewed.
A woman's life was shattered by a single phone call. Is the NHS 111 algorithm failing to spot meningitis?
Told to take paracetamol, she ended up in a coma. When does a flu-like illness become a 999 emergency?