THE family of a 13-year-old girl who died in Basildon Hospital after contracting swine flu claim she didn’t get the care she deserved.

Samantha Wakefield, who had cerebral palsy, died from a cardiac arrest after she contracted a rare heart infection brought on by the flu.

The youngster, from Lisle Place, Grays, was rushed into hospital with what her mum Maria Wakefield thought was pneumonia, but within a few hours had died.

At an inquest held in Chelmsford last week, coroner Lorna Tagliavini recorded a verdict of natural causes. She found there was no link between Samantha’s death and the “poor” and “haphazard” manner in which notes and observations were recorded.

Mrs Wakefield, of Christchurch Road, Tilbury, tearfully told the inquest: “I just don’t think my daughter received the care she should have received.

“I put all of my faith and trust in the hospital and I don’t think she got the care she deserved.”

Speaking afterwards she added: “The natural causes verdict I can understand. But I’m going to go to the hospital. We’re still not fully satisfied.” Dr Elliot Shinebourne, expert witness, said it would have been difficult for staff to do more to help Samantha.

Speaking after the verdict, Basildon Hospital said it had made changes to its procedures in the children’s ward’s high dependency unit since Samantha’s death.

Katie White, head of nursing, said: “There has been a review into the way information is charted in the high-dependency unit, looking in particular at the recording of fluid levels.

“There are other things that I have learnt at this inquest that I will be taking back to the hospital and I will be talking to staff.”