A mother asked an advanced nurse practitioner whether her daughter’s headache, neck pain and vomiting could be meningitis, and the family went home hours later with a diagnosis of tonsillitis.
Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust has reached a court-approved settlement with the parents of Lila Marsland, five, who died of bacterial meningitis at her family home in Hyde, Greater Manchester, England, on Dec. 28, 2023, hours after the trust discharged her from Tameside Hospital. The payout was reported Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026.
Lila, a pupil at Flowery Field Primary School, died two weeks before her sixth birthday. A post-mortem examination established that she had died of pneumococcal meningitis.
The trust agreed to pay an undisclosed sum to her mother, Rachael Mincherton, a district nurse, and her partner, Darren Marsland. The trust admitted failings in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of the girl’s bacterial meningitis and accepted that those failings materially contributed to her death.
The trust also admitted that Lila already had meningitis when staff assessed her on the Children’s Observation and Assessment Unit, that it failed to adequately assess, diagnose and treat her, and that she should have stayed in the hospital and been started on intravenous antibiotics.
Medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell brought the legal action. Jack Bookey, the medical negligence lawyer at the firm who represented the family, said the trust’s admissions provided important answers about Lila’s care in her final hours, and that the family hopes telling her story raises awareness of meningitis and prevents a similar death.
The trust spokesperson said: “We are pleased that this settlement has been reached and approved by the court. This was a tragic case in which there were clear missed opportunities in Lila’s care. We express once more our sincere and unreserved apologies to the Lila’s family for this tragedy. As a Trust, we have made and will continue to make improvements to ensure we learn from this case.”
She Asked If It Was Meningitis
Lila fell ill on Dec. 27, 2023, two days after Christmas, during a family outing to Dovestone Reservoir. She had a headache, neck pain, a sore throat and was vomiting.
Mincherton took her to Tameside Hospital at about 5 p.m., by which time the girl had a high heart rate, a fever and lethargy. Meningitis was the possibility the mother put straight to an advanced nurse practitioner. Tonsillitis was what the practitioner suspected instead, telling her that blood tests would be taken.
A senior doctor approved her transfer to the pediatric accident and emergency department (A&E) without visually examining her. Staff admitted her to the Children’s Observation and Assessment Unit, diagnosed tonsillitis and discharged her at around 2:40 a.m. Dec. 28 with oral antibiotics and a throat spray, rather than keeping her in for intravenous treatment.
Mincherton woke at about 9 a.m. and found Lila unresponsive in the bed. Paramedics rushed to the home, but Lila was pronounced dead shortly afterward.
A Jury Called It Preventable
After an eight-day inquest at Stockport Coroners’ Court in June 2025, a jury found Lila’s death preventable and contributed to by neglect.
The inquest found that prompt treatment with appropriate antibiotics could have prevented her death. Doctors normally treat the bacterial form in the hospital with intravenous antibiotics, since it can turn life-threatening within hours, unlike viral meningitis.
Coroner Chris Morris issued a Prevention of Future Deaths report after the inquest. His concerns covered how the hospital records and shares clinical information.
Bereavement Packs in Lila’s Name
Lila left an older sister, Ava, 16, and Mincherton has said the two girls adored each other. Her parents set up a charity in her name, Lila’s Light, which provides bereavement support packs for children who have lost a brother or sister and has raised about £33,000.
“Losing Lila is something we’ll never come to terms with,” Mincherton said. For other parents sitting in an emergency department with a sick child, she has a message of her own: “Parents should never be afraid to ask questions or seek help or a second opinion if they’re concerned.”
A Teenager Sent Home in Nottingham
In a separate case, Zara Cheesman, 15, of Mapperley Park in Nottingham, died of bacterial meningitis on Dec. 23, 2024, four days after she began to feel unwell. When she was seen in hospital, an advanced nurse practitioner raised concerns about meningitis and recommended blood tests, but a specialist registrar did not carry them out and discharged her. Paramedics who came to the family home on Dec. 21, 2024, after a second call to 111 advised rest and fluids and did not take her to hospital. Assistant Coroner Dr. Elizabeth Didcock found that neglect contributed to her death and issued a prevention of future deaths report to the East Midlands Ambulance Service.
