A WOMAN died in Airedale Hospital after suffering anaphylaxis triggered by an antibiotic she had an allergy to.

Sharon Anne Robinson, 56, died at the Steeton hospital in 2019 and following an inquest, coroner Dr Anthony Howard issued a prevention of future deaths report.

This can be done of it appears there is a risk of other deaths occurring in similar circumstances.

The inquest concluded that Mrs Robinson died on February 7, 2019 "as a result of administration of an antibiotic on January 27 which induced an anaphylactic reaction."

Dr Howard raised concern that a patient's sensitivity to an antibiotic, despite the low risk, would be ignored and be given in any event.

In its response, Airedale NHS Foundation Trust said the case had been taken "very seriously".

Addressing the coroner's concern, the response said: "In the case of Mrs Robinson, the Trust’s evidence given at inquest was that Mrs Robinson’s recorded allergy to Penicillin was not ‘ignored’.

"It was carefully considered when the treating clinician exercised their clinical decision making around whether or not it would be appropriate and safe to administer amoxicillin for a Lower Respiratory Tract Infection in January 2019.

"The Trust’s evidence was that, before deciding to prescribe amoxicillin, the patient had reported to clinical staff that, notwithstanding the ‘allergy alert’ on her file, she had successfully been treated with amoxicillin on many previous occasions without any adverse reaction."

The Trust said this was backed up by medical records and that "it is right to explore the nature of an allergy" in line with guidance.

The response added: "This is even more so in circumstances where the condition in question is best treated by the antibiotic subject to the allergy alert, as was the situation in Mrs Robinson’s case."

It highlighted that it was not a case of medication being prescribed in ignorance of an allergy, but a "conscious decision" after confirmation from the patient she had not suffered any adverse reaction over many years.

In light of those circumstances, the Trust said it had sought to consider and address "whether or not it is appropriate to administer an antibiotic to a patient in the presence of a known or suspected allergy to an ingredient within that particular antibiotic in any circumstances".

The case has been discussed at different meetings and the response said the Trust's Antimicrobial Policy will be revised and the approach for Airedale and Bradford Teaching Hospitals be aligned.