The parents of a teenage hairdresser who died suddenly in hospital have started legal action against Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Steve and Anne Garner, of Baildon, believe their daughter, Laura Bethany Garner, 18, died as a result of a series of failures in her care after she was admitted to Bradford Royal Infirmary last September.

The devastated couple have now instructed Daniel Hilton, of Beaumont Legal Solicitors, to pursue a claim against the Trust.

Laura died a little over 24 hours after her admission to hospital, without a diagnosis of her condition being made, the claim states.

Her cause of death was later recorded as septicaemia and acute pyelonephritis – a serious bacterial infection of the kidney.

Mr Hilton said that following her death a Serious Incident Report prepared by the hospital concluded that there were “deficiencies in the basic medical processes of differential diagnosis, investigation and treatment”.

And it further stated that there were “deficiencies in the basic nursing processes of assessing the physical and psychological concerns of a patient, and of taking and recording physiological observations”.

He said the report found that Laura’s temperature, pulse and respiration were not recorded between 10.50am and 10.30pm on September 23 – a short time before her death shortly after midnight, despite her having a fever and abnormally fast heart rate in the morning and having had a general anaesthetic and laparoscopy – a surgical procedure used to diagnose a range of conditions.

It also found she was never given the antibiotics she was identified as requiring when she was admitted to hospital, a point which forms a key part of the family’s case against the hospital.

In a statement issued by her solicitor, Mrs Garner said: “Laura was a beautiful, cheeky, loving daughter who lived her short life to the max.

“It is tragic that her life has been snatched so needlessly and we will miss her more than we can ever say. Our family will never be complete again.”

Laura, who lived with her parents, was training as a hairdresser at Snooti a Gouti in Burley-in-Wharfedale, a career, her family said, she loved and one day hoped to own her own hair salon. She also loved spending time with her niece Isabelle, whom she adored.

Snooti a Gouti owner Tina Archer said Laura’s sudden death had left a profound mark on the business.

“Her death has left a shadow over the place,” she said. “Since Laura died it’s been so difficult to keep the staff together because everybody grieves so differently.

“The hard part about this is she was a normal, lovely, outgoing girl. She wasn’t shy and always knew what to talk about with her clients. She was just a really friendly, bubbly girl.”

Mr Hilton said: “Laura’s tragic death occurred after a catalogue of failures in respect of her care following her admission to Bradford Royal Infirmary.”

A spokesman for the Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust would like to pass on its sincere condolences to Laura’s family.

“After Laura’s death, the Foundation Trust took immediate action to investigate the circumstances surrounding this tragic loss of life and an internal investigation was carried out, the results of which we shared with Laura’s family.

“We would like to apologise to Laura’s family and assure them that the necessary actions, which came out of the report, are being taken.”