Rachael Mincherton worked as a district nurse for the same NHS trust that diagnosed her daughter with tonsillitis hours before the girl died of meningitis.
Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust has paid Mincherton and her partner, Darren Marsland, an undisclosed sum after admitting failings in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of their daughter’s bacterial meningitis. Lila Marsland, five, died at the family home in Hyde, Greater Manchester, on Dec. 28, 2023, hours after she was discharged from Tameside Hospital. The settlement was announced Oct. 30, 2026.
The trust accepted that the failings materially contributed to Lila’s death. “Losing Lila is something we’ll never come to terms with,” her mother said.
Lila, a pupil at Flowery Field Primary School, died weeks before her sixth birthday.
A Family Outing and a Headache
Two days after Christmas, on Dec. 27, 2023, Lila fell ill during a family outing to Dovestone Reservoir, complaining of a headache and neck pain and vomiting.
Mincherton took her to Tameside Hospital at about 5 p.m. By then Lila had a headache, limited neck movement, vomiting, a sore throat, a high heart rate, a fever and lethargy.
Mincherton asked an advanced nurse practitioner directly whether her daughter could have meningitis. The practitioner suspected tonsillitis and said blood tests would be taken. Lila’s transfer to the pediatric accident and emergency department (A&E) was approved by a senior doctor who did not visually examine her.
Lila was admitted to the Children’s Observation and Assessment Unit, diagnosed with tonsillitis and discharged at around 2:40 a.m. on Dec. 28 with oral antibiotics and a throat spray, rather than kept in for intravenous treatment.
Back home, her mother woke at about 9 a.m. to find her unresponsive in the bed, and she and paramedics tried to resuscitate her. Lila was pronounced dead at 9:19 a.m. A post-mortem examination established that she had died of pneumococcal meningitis.
Within an Hour of Triage
An inquest opened in October 2024, and a jury at Stockport Coroners’ Court heard evidence from May 27 to June 5, 2025. At the end of the hearing in June 2025, the jury concluded that Lila’s death was preventable and contributed to by neglect.
The jurors found she could have survived had she been admitted and given appropriate broad-spectrum antibiotics within an hour of being triaged. Unlike viral meningitis, the bacterial form can become life-threatening within hours and is normally treated in hospital with intravenous antibiotics.
Coroner Chris Morris followed the inquest with a Prevention of Future Deaths report. He raised concerns about how the hospital records and shares clinical information across a mix of paper and digital systems, where details can be lost between departments, and about child sepsis screening guidance and adherence to national meningitis guidelines.
After legal action brought by medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell, the trust admitted that Lila already had meningitis by the time she was assessed on the Children’s Observation and Assessment Unit, and that there had been a failure to adequately assess, diagnose and treat her. It accepted she should have stayed in hospital and been started on intravenous antibiotics.
Jack Bookey, the medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell who represented the family, said the trust’s admissions had provided important answers about the care Lila received in her final hours. The family hopes that telling her story raises awareness of meningitis and prevents a similar death, he said.
Bereavement Bags for Brothers and Sisters
Lila left an older sister, Ava. Mincherton has said the two girls adored each other.
In Lila’s name, her parents set up Lila’s Light, which provides bereavement support packs for children who have lost a brother or sister. The charity has raised about £33,000.
The trust acknowledged missed opportunities in Lila’s care and apologized unreservedly after the inquest. It says it has made improvements and will keep learning from the case.
Her mother has a message for other parents sitting in an emergency department with a sick child. “Parents should never be afraid to ask questions or seek help or a second opinion if they’re concerned,” Mincherton said.