There are children who light up the room the moment they walk in. Five-year-old Lila Marsland was one of them — full of life, quick to laugh, and deeply loved.
She had just started school and was still riding the post-Christmas joy, proudly showing off her new bike. She should have been remembered for her joy.
Instead, she became known for a heartbreaking reason no child ever should: preventable medical neglect.
Throwing up and neck pain
On December 27, 2023, Lila went on a family walk near the scenic Dovestone Reservoir in Greater Manchester. What started as a festive outing quickly turned into a nightmare. She began complaining of a headache. On the walk back to the car, she threw up. Later that day, her symptoms worsened — she became lethargic and developed neck pain.
Her mother, 36-year-old Rachael Mincherton, immediately grew concerned. A district nurse herself at Tameside General Hospital — the very hospital she brought Lila to — she suspected something far more serious than a virus.
Rachael had voiced her concern about meningitis, noting that children don’t typically complain of neck pain without a serious reason. It was a red flag she couldn’t ignore.
Despite being seen by multiple healthcare professionals — a nurse practitioner, a junior doctor, and a senior pediatric registrar — Lila was discharged from the hospital just after 2:30 a.m. with a suspected case of tonsillitis. Her mom says she trusted them. She worked with them. She never imagined they’d be wrong.
“I felt reassured by them, to be honest,” Rachael told BBC. “She had quite a few infections before this and she’d always received amazing care. I worked for that hospital. You don’t really not trust people when you work with them.”
That trust was shattered the next morning.
