Inquest finds Tameside girl's death was contributed to by neglect
Lila Marsland was sent home from hospital with suspected tonsilitis in December 2023 - but died hours later in her sleep
Last updated 5th Jun 2025
An inquest has found a Tameside girl's death was contributed to by neglect.
Five-year-old Lila Marsland died on the 28th of December 2023, after being sick and complaining of a sore neck and headache.
Her mum, Rachael Mincherton, rushed her daughter to Tameside Hospital in the afternoon of the 27th.
The eight day inquest heard how Lila was treated with suspected tonsillitis and prescribed her antibiotics and a throat spray - she was sent home in the early hours of the morning (28th December).
Less than 12 hours later, her mum found her unresponsive in bed. Emergency services were called but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
An inquests heard how Lila died as a consequence of undiagnosed and therefore untreated pneumococcal meningitis and Streptococcus pneumonia.
The jury found that had Lila been admitted in hospital and given broad-spectrum antibiotics within an hour – her death would have been prevented.
Rachael described her daughter as a "happy girl who cherished being around her friends".
She went on to say the loss of Lila has deeply affected their family and she still imagines her walking through the door: "I'm heartbroken, she had her entire life ahead of her".
A pathologist during the inquest said she believes Lila died as a result of 'pneumococcal meningitis.'
A spokesperson for Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust said:
"We want to express our sincere condolences to Lila's family for their heartbreaking loss.
“It is clear from the independent investigation that there were missed opportunities in Lila's care. We accept the coroner's findings and apologise unreservedly for this.
“As a Trust, we have made and will continue to make improvements to ensure we learn from this case."