Boy who died in hospital was left so dehydrated his parents found him sucking wet wipes

Inquiry finds NHS staff guilty of 22 failures in the aftercare of Sean Turner

Four-year-old Sean Turner died in March 2012 following heart surgery at Bristol Children's Hospital (PA)

A boy who died in hospital was left so dehydrated by nurses after undergoing a major operation that his parents found him sucking on wet wipes, a damning report has found.

Sean Turner had life-saving heart surgery at Bristol Children’s Hospital, but passed away six weeks later after suffering a catastrophic brain haemorrhage.

The inquiry found NHS staff guilty of 22 failures in the aftercare of the four-year-old, who was “not given the best possible chance of survival,” reports the Bristol Post.

Sean, who was born with his heart on the right side of his body, died in 2012 after being given anti-clotting medicine for three days instead of the recommended six hours.

The report also found University Hospital Bristol Foundation Trust guilty of failing to be open with Sean’s parents in the lead up to his death.

The trust has been ordered to write “an open and honest acknowledgement of the failings identified” as well as “an apology of the impact”.

Robert Woolley, chief executive of the trust, said: "I would like to extend our condolences again to Sean Turner's family for the sad loss of their son.

"I am deeply sorry for our failings in care and for the impact they had on Sean and his family. We want to get our care right for every child, every time, and I bitterly regret that we didn't do this for Sean.

“I am also very sorry that we compounded their grief by giving inaccurate and incomplete responses to their subsequent complaint.”

The report did not find that Sean would definitely have lived without the multiple failings.

It read: “Nevertheless, the distress Mr and Mrs Turner have suffered, and continue to suffer, will undoubtedly be compounded by the uncertainty - however small - of never knowing whether Sean might have survived if everything that should have been done for him, had been done."