Mother whose daughter died from allergic response lies awake at evening
A mother whose teenage daughter died after taking just one sip of a Costa Coffee drink said she lies awake at night thinking about how she could have saved her child.
Hannah Jacobs, 13, had a severe allergic reaction to dairy and died within hours of sipping the drink bought at a branch in Barking, east London on February 8 last year.
Her mother Abimbola Duyile claims she had ordered two soya hot chocolates and had also asked the staff to clean the equipment they were using – but this was disputed by the staff member who made the drink during an inquest on August 16.
Ms Duyile was also not shown a book containing dietary requirements, as per Costa’s allergen rules.
The inquest heard the hot chocolate may have been made with cows’ milk and after the teenager took one sip of the drink, she shouted: ‘That was not soya milk.’
Abimbola Duyile (pictured) told BBC Breakfast that she lies awake at night thinking about how she could have saved her child
When Hannah (pictured) took a sip of a hot chocolate drink in the waiting room of a dental practice, she immediately told her mother the drink hadn’t been made with soy milk
Ms Duyile said her world has been ‘turned upside down’ by Hannah’s death.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, she said: ‘Most nights I stay awake thinking maybe there is something I could have done differently… maybe carrying an EpiPen with me.’
A post-mortem found that Hanna died after suffering a hypersensitive anaphylactic reaction to an ingredient in her drink.
The inquest also heard evidence from Costa employees about their online training on allergens.
One member of staff said they failed the quiz 20 times before passing.
Ms Duyile told BBC Breakfast: ‘Everybody needs to change their ways.
‘If you’re training somebody, they can’t understand the allergen on the company website and it’s taken them 20 times to do it over again, you need to ask yourself, ‘is something off here?’
‘Your staff should know what goes in everything. This should be a common basic thing.
‘Every single person in restaurants, coffee shops need to know.’
An inquest found the 13-year-old died following both a ‘failure to follow the processes’ and a ‘failure of communication’ between staff and Hannah’s mother
Pictured, Costa Coffee branch on Station Parade in Barking, east London, where Abimbola Duyile bought her 13-year-old daughter Hannah Jacobs a hot chocolate
The inquest found that the 13-year-old died following both a ‘failure to follow the processes’ and a ‘failure of communication’ between staff and Hannah’s mother.
The coroner also noted that on the day of her death, ‘neither Hannah or her mother were carrying an epi-pen that had been prescribed’.
Ms Duyile rushed Hannah to a chemist after she complained of chest pains and that her lips and mouth were very swollen and itchy.
Hannah tasted the drink on the way to the dentist, where she started to feel unwell and where nurses offered Ms Duyile an EpiPen with 300mg of adrenaline, dentist Iqra Farhad told the court.
Ms Farhad said this could have saved Hannah’s life, but Ms Duyile decided to go to the chemist for an antihistamine called Cetirizine instead.
She told the court she saw Hannah only briefly and said ‘there was no sign of panicking or distress’.
When they arrived at the chemist there were no EpiPens due to general shortages, pharmacist Santokh Kahlon said.
He would ‘definitely’ have used the extra EpiPen from the dentist if he had known there was one, he told the court.
Worringly, experts warn that continuing drug shortages could lead to further deaths. Over the past year, more than half of people in the UK have struggled to get their prescriptions, according to research.
About one in 12 have failed to access any crucial medicines, including hormone replacement therapy, antibiotics and inhalers.
Pictured, Hannah’s mother, Abimbola Duyile, holds a picture of her daughter outside East London Coroner’s Court on August 16
Ms Duyile told the hearing she rushed Hannah to a chemist after complaining of chest pains and that her lips and mouth were very swollen and itchy
Experts estimate that 10 Brits die from an allergic reaction to food each year, with 5,000 people hospitalised for severe reactions.
Ms Duyile is now calling on the government to raise awareness about the use of EpiPens in the wake of her daughter’s tragic passing.
Ms Duyile said: ‘I’m praying the government are listening to this.
‘If we can get the government at least to let people know the symptoms of someone having allergic reaction, it will be amazing. They can save a life.
‘Teach everybody how to use an EpiPen, whether it’s a kid or adult.’
In a statement, a Costa Coffee spokesman said Hannah’s death was a ‘tragedy and our heartfelt thoughts remain with her family and friends’.
He added: ‘We have strict allergy training and procedures in place to help to minimise the risk to those customers who suffer from allergens, however, we agree with the coroner’s conclusion that our allergen process was not followed that day at our franchise partner store.’
A Department of Health spokesperson said: ‘We have been in ongoing discussions with the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation about improving support for people with allergies and ministers will carefully consider their views and any recommendations made by the coroner following the tragic death of Hannah Jacobs.’
