Flint dad’s grief after baby son died at Glan Clwyd hospital

Instead, his family will visit his grave and let off balloons into the sky in memory of a “beautiful” baby boy who died from a “probably preventable” death.

Lucas, from Flint, died at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, Bodelwyddan aged nine months of acute bacterial meningitis on May 18, 2019. Less than 24 hours earlier, his parents had been told by staff at the hospital that he had viral tonsillitis but was safe to return home.

Last November, following a two-day full inquest, coroner John Gittins found that hospital staff caring for him had exhibited “poor practice”. Lucas returned to Glan Clwyd in the afternoon of May 18 after his parents said he “went stiff” and was “staring into space”, but his condition deteriorated and he was pronounced dead at 11.50pm.

More than five years have passed, but for his parents, Nathan and Kimberley, their grief – and their fight for change – endures.

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“I miss him so much. Everybody loved him,” Nathan said.

“I looked after him when Kim was at work. I saw him stand up on his own two feet for the first time. I don’t think dads get heard (as much as mums) sometimes, which is very difficult.

“He’s here with us. I don’t think he’ll ever leave us.”

Nathan and Kimberley Munslow with Lucas (Image: Family handout)

Indeed, Lucas may be gone but he is far from forgotten. A section of the Munslows’ living room is now adorned with priceless memories of Lucas, comprising photos of his “cheeky little smile”, his footprint and handprint, and a lock of his hair.

In March, the Munslows agreed an out-of-court settlement of £16,500 with Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board – Nathan said they accepted the offer as they simply wanted the matter “over and done with”, but called the sum an “insult on a baby’s life”.

Still, though, he and Kimberley feel there is more work to be done, as they await a meeting with health board representatives.

“It’s not just about us,” Nathan added.

“We’ve had a child taken away from us. (But) what if there’s another child, and another parent? We want them to be heard, as well as us.

Lucas Munslow (Image: Family handout)

“We want to know what procedures they’ve done, and what steps they’ve taken, since (Lucas’ death and the subsequent inquest).

“They should have done tests on Lucas but didn’t – a urine sample, bloods, a lumbar puncture – that would have shown that he had meningitis. I can still see everything clearly from that day.

“I was asleep on the sofa with Lucas when he screamed in pain – I’ve never heard a baby scream like that. Now, if I hear my three kids scream like that, I go straight to Kim and say: ‘Get them to hospital’, because that’s played on my mind ever since.”

For Kimberley, hearing the coroner say that it was probable that Lucas’ death could have been prevented “just killed me” and “broke my heart”.

The inquest itself, she said, was something which “we had to fight for” – yet she remains worried that the health board has not “learnt their lessons”.

Lucas Munslow (Image: Family handout)

“On the Saturday (May 18), they did everything in their power to save him. Not on the Friday, though,” she said.

“(I want them to) take the time to actually see their patients. I understand that they’re busy, and that’s not their fault.

“But for two paediatric doctors to see him within half and hour of each other, and think they did a full examination on him before sending us home… that’s not a full examination, in my eyes.”

Kimberley will also be facing her fears in October, when she takes on a sponsored skydive with Lucas’ uncle in his memory - www.justgiving.com/page/kimberley-munslow-1712592474706.

The skydive will be in aid of Meningitis Research Foundation, a charity which strives to “provide life-saving information and fund vital medical research” into the condition.

“I’ve always been taught meningitis involves a rash, but Lucas never had one,” she added.

“There are obviously different forms about meningitis that people don’t know about, so if I can help get more awareness out about that, then I’ll do it.

“I really wouldn’t like anyone else to go through what we’ve gone through.”

Lucas Munslow (Image: Family handout)

Carol Shillabeer, chief executive at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, said she is keen to engage further with Lucas’ parents.

The Munslows added that, earlier this week, they received a letter from her, reiterating her apologies and offering to have a meeting arranged with them.

Ms Shillabeer said: “I would like to once again offer my sincere condolences to Lucas’ parents.

“I can only imagine how heart-breaking his loss has been for them, and I apologise on behalf of the health board that we have added to this distress.

“We are undergoing significant change across our health board, and we are determined to create an organisation that learns, improves and better serves its community.

“We take incidents seriously, and we want to ensure we learn from Lucas’ sad death and make improvements in order to prevent such rare occurrences happening again.

“It’s extremely important to me that families can have a key role in informing investigations and learning, and I will be reaching out to Mr and Mrs Munslow to provide them with the opportunity to share their experience and thoughts on the areas we need to improve.”