‘Miscommunication’ over order may have led to Costa allergy death

A 13-year-old girl with a severe dairy allergy may have been served a Costa Coffee hot chocolate that was made with cows’ milk after a possible “miscommunication” of the order, an inquest has heard.

Hannah Jacobs, who had been allergic to dairy products, along with fish and eggs, since she was a toddler, died within hours of taking one sip of the drink on 8 February 2022, East London Coroner’s Court was told.

Urmi Akter was working at the Costa franchise in Barking when she took the order for the takeaway drinks from Hannah’s mother Abimbola Duyile.

Akter used her legal right, under coroners’ rules, not to answer a series of questions that could be seen as incriminating as she gave evidence at the inquest on Tuesday.

They related to her training, understanding, knowledge and actions as she was being given the order.

The court heard that Hannah suffered an “immediate reaction” after a just one sip of the takeaway drink that her mother bought before attending a dentist appointment at 11am. Hannah was declared dead by 1pm that day, her family’s lawyers said.

The inquest has heard there is a factual dispute about the order and Duyile said she asked for two soya hot chocolates and for staff to thoroughly clean the equipment.

Under Costa’s rules customers who ask for a non-dairy product or state they have a dietary requirement should be shown a book that is kept under the till that includes ingredients and details of how the drink is made, the court heard.

Akter told the court she pointed out that hot chocolate was made from milk and did not show Hannah’s mother the book as she had said washing the jug would be “fine”.

"I thought she, as the mother, would know more about [it]," Akter said.

Other questions included whether Akter was given training in her own language, if refresher training had been provided, if she knew what an allergen was, and if she knew the potential consequences of being subject to any allergy.

She was also asked if anyone checked her understanding of the training and if she ever wrote anything on a drink to identify what was in it.

Akter did not give an answer when questioned if she confirmed whether cow’s milk was being used in the order and if she had told the barista who made the drink about the allergy.

Duyile previously told the court that Hannah sipped the drink when she was at the dentist and went to the toilet with an immediate allergic reaction.

A nearby pharmacist gave her an EpiPen injection in her leg and paramedics arrived soon after, but Hannah later died in hospital.

Dentist Iqra Farhad said that nurses offered Duyile an EpiPen with 300mg of adrenaline, which the inquest has heard could have helped saved Hannah’s life.

Duyile instead left to go to a chemist and get an antihistamine called Cetirizine.

Farhad, who saw Hannah only briefly, said: “When I spoke to the patient she said she was fine.” Duyile tried to arrange a new appointment during the time Hannah had gone to the toilet.

Farhad said that “there was no sign of panicking or distress”.

She also said the team at the dentist surgery had emergency training, which included how to administer adrenaline.

The court heard that standing up while having an allergic reaction could be detrimental and there would have been a need to lie the child down.

The inquest continues.