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Death of boy, 11, may have died because of lack of senior A&E staff

The death of an 11-year-old boy may have been a result of an under-staffed A&E at Daisy Hill Hospital, a coroners court has heard.

Stephen McElroy collapsed and died in from pneumonia in March 2015.

He was discharged just six hours prior to his death.

A serious adverse incident report by the Southern Health Trust said that a more experienced member of staff at the emergency department may have considered another diagnosis before releasing Stephen.

The court heard that the trust’s report also said that the problem of recruiting appropriately trained staff on night duty was a problem at A&E departments across Northern Ireland.

The case was adjourned for two weeks and a full inquest is expected to be heard later this year.

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