A NURSE has told an inquest how a colleague said she would give a toddler "something to calm him down" moments before he received a fatal injection.

The inquest heard that Lynne Maguire, who had been on a four-week orientation of the ICU ward at Alder Hey Hospital, Liverpool, accompanied nurse Rose Aru to take Blackburn youngster Jake McGeough for a scan.

He stopped breathing after the nurse gave him the muscle-relaxing drug vecuronium instead of a sedative prior to a scan.

Nurse Maguire told the third day of the hearing at Liverpool Coroner's Court that in the scan department the 18-month-old boy became agitated and was crying and kicking.

She said Nurse Aru picked up one of the syringes which had been on his cot and said the word 'midazolam' -- a sedative. Nurse Maguire said she looked at the syringe label and confirmed that it said midazolam.

She said when she was introduced to Nurse Aru she believed that she was a sister because of the uniform she was wearing. She said: "A navy blue uniform usually indicates a ward sister. Rose did not have a name badge and I assumed her, wrongly, to be a sister.

"I noticed a tray in the cot by Jake's head containing three syringes .

"I was unaware what was in them or who had made them up."

Nurse Maguire said: "I was trying to keep Jake as flat as possible on the bed in order for the procedure to take place. At this point Rose said 'I will give him something to calm him down'."

When asked by Coroner Andre Rebello how sure she was that that was what Rose had said, she replied: "Extremely sure. The phrase stuck in my head. Also it was the first time it had been mentioned to me about giving the child any medication whatsoever."

Jake, of Leicester Road, Whitebirk, had been transferred after initially being taken to Queens Park, Hospital, Blackburn, and medical staff feared he had been suffering from a metabolic disorder.

Two members of staff have been disciplined as a result of the death.

The coroner asked Nurse Maguire if she had checked Jake's prescription or drugs chart when checking the midazolam syringe that Rose had shown to her.

She said she did not and said: "I did not know the patient and was very conscious in that split second it may have been detrimental to the patient. I did not have the luxury of it being discussed before we got there."

Nurse Maguire said she noticed that Jake had then calmed down but assumed it was becuase he was tired as she did not see Nurse Aru give him any injection.

While she was on the phone she was interrupted by Nurse Aru who told her to dial the emergency number for a cardiac arrest. She said she went over to Jake and put a mask over his face and Nurse Aru started chest compressions. She said it was at this point that she realised Jake was not breathing.

Nurse Maguire said the crash team came in and she escorted Jake's mum, Keira, to another room outside.

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