Sepsis

Misdiagnosed from the start, Annie was never given the straightforward treatment that would have saved her. Only through the determination of her parents ...

The chief medical officer of the commission at the time, Dr Robert Herkes, provided what he called a “genuine apology” to the Moylans, but no action was taken against either hospital. But hospitals and other agencies still don’t have to participate in a government review; they are only told that they should. Holmesglen, St Vincent’s Private and ACL all promised the Moylans they would co-operate fully with the review, but none of them handed over their primary records because they were not compelled to do so. She was put on life support and her family was called to the hospital to say goodbye. “It made you doubt,” says Marg, “and doubt always leads to lots of questions. The paramedics had to wheel Annie, who was in immense pain and miscarrying, through the front entrance and to the reception desk on a stretcher. A spokesperson for ACL said it would not comment as the coronial inquest was pending. We can see it in the notes we obtained from Ambulance Victoria. She was distressed at being wheeled to a front reception desk, and they didn’t know where to take her.” After being taken to a labour ward, Annie was not seen by a doctor for another hour and 16 minutes. They sped across the city under lights and sirens to St Vincent’s Private. In fact, Annie had the early signs of sepsis. But on that August night in 2017, at 37 years of age and 18 weeks pregnant, she started to feel unwell.