The parents of Dylan Cope, a nine-year-old boy from Newport who died of sepsis after being discharged by an NHS doctor, have been told by the health board that they will not be able to identify the man who assessed him.

The doctor, working at the Grange University Hospital, is alleged to have missed 'red-flag' observations and reassured Dylan's father Laurence that Dylan had a self-resolving illness rather than a potentially life-threatening one.

Dylan Cope, 9, went to the A&E unit at The Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran, on 6 December 2022.

He had abdominal pain and a GP note asking the A&E unit to ‘check him for appendicitis,’ which the hospital staff did not read

Dylan was home the next day with a leaflet about the flu – he died of sepsis at the University Hospital of Wales, contracted through a burst appendix, just days later on December 14.

An inquest in May 2024 heard his death ‘would have been avoided if he had not been erroneously discharged'.

On 10th December, Laurence phoned The Grange emergency number given to him on discharge to update them on Dylan and seek advice, expressing he was worried.

He was advised to give Dylan Calpol and ensure he drinks plenty of water. 

If he became very worried he was told he could bring Dylan back to A&E but they were ‘very busy’ and that children can often feel ‘pretty rough’ with the flu. 

The coroner said what happened in this case ‘amounts to a gross failure of basic care.’

In attempts to ensure that other families do not have to endure such tragic loss, Dylan’s parents Corinne and Laurence Cope have been openly criticising the alleged failures of the health board, both before and after his ‘sudden death.’

Due to the male doctor not making a note of his review of Dylan, and the fact that the CCTV from the hospital was automatically deleted 28 days after Dylan was seen, the health board are yet to identify the clinician who assessed him.

Most recently, Laurence, "as a key witness," asked the health board to show him anonymised images of the clinicians on duty that day, in hopes that Laurence would be able to identify the doctor who dealt with Dylan, though the health board have denied this as an option.

“Losing Dylan is a life sentence of pain for us, and for all we know the person who was instrumental in reassuring Laurence is carrying on in his profession as usual,” said Corinne Cope, Dylan's mother.

“If they can’t identify all staff involved, how can they ensure that this will not happen again?

(Image: Laurence Cope) “We are concerned for future patient’s safety. If they don’t identify people, then there is no accountability. Accountability is a key part of learning.

“It has compounded our distress, the continual battle to get them to take reasonable measures has been just so stressful on top of the grief of Dylan’s unexpected and sudden death, which you can never recover from.

“All we want is the full picture and we have not been afforded that because of the way the investigation process is set up, with the health boards being able to investigate themselves.

“Now that they have accepted full responsibility for Dylan’s death, they are no longer obliged to provide us with key information our solicitor was requesting that could help us come to terms with what actually happened.”

The current system allows for hospital investigations into gross failures such as this one where Dylan was the victim, to be carried out internally by the hospital’s own staff, and in this case an Investigating Officer investigating their own team.

(Image: UGC)“My overall hope for the future would be that government set up a truly independent and impartial body to investigate, with the expertise, time, and inclination to do things right first time and also to manage whistleblowing.

“This would ensure meaningful lessons are learned and meaningful improvements are made and maintained that truly match all the problems identified when things go terribly wrong.

“Only then - when there is true accountability and the necessary regulatory powers - will things ever change, from my perspective, because the current system is flawed and failing thousands.”

Dr James Calvert, Medical Director of Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, said: “We continue to be devastated by Dylan’s death and our deepest sympathies remain with his parents and family.

“We are aware of the ongoing distress being experienced by the family due to our inability to identify the doctor who spoke with Dylan’s father, despite an extensive investigation.

"Following a formal clinical assessment, a doctor would usually make an entry into the medical record of a patient.

"This was not done in this case and therefore we have no record in the notes to enable us to identify this individual.

"We have sought advice from external organisations and believe we have explored all the options available to us to identify the individual the family are seeking.

“We have spoken regularly with the family and explained the findings of our investigation.

"The results of our investigation were discussed during Dylan’s inquest and the Coroner did not request that we undertake any further investigation beyond the actions already taken.

“Since this tragic incident and subsequent investigation, we have continued to work with staff and Dylan’s family to put measures in place to make improvements in a number of areas identified.

"Our Children’s Emergency Department remains a safe area, with access restricted only to staff concerned with the treatment of patients in that area.”