A grieving father has sworn the death of his 15-year-old son 'will not be in vain' and has urged that more attention is paid to allergies.

Robert Anderson from Bowden died after suffering an asthma attack while playing football on August 17 last year. He was rushed to Wythenshawe Hospital but doctors were unable to save him.

It was originally thought the asthma attack had caused his death, but an inquest concluded that he had actually died of anaphylactic shock.

This is the most severe form of allergic reaction, and caused him to go into cardiac arrest - although it is unclear what triggered it.

Robert, a gifted pupil at Altrincham Grammar School for Boys who was due to collect his GCSE results the day he died, had been tested for allergies in 2000 and was found to be allergic to peanuts, grass pollen and eggs, among other things.

Giving evidence at the hearing, his mother, Johanna, said Robert had always been very mature and sensible about managing his asthma and allergies, and was careful not to eat anything with nuts in.

People who have severe allergic reactions causing anaphylaxis are often given an epi-pen, an injection of adrenaline that mitigates against the effects. But none of Robert's allergies had caused him to go into anaphylactic shock when he was tested so he was not issued with one.

However in the nine years between the original tests and his death this was not followed up with any further tests, so doctors cannot be sure what triggered the anaphylaxis that caused his death.

Let down

His father, Roger, says he believes if his son had had an epi-pen, his life would have been saved. Speaking after the hearing he said: "I believe my son was let down by the system of preventative care. I have nothing but praise for those who cared for him after he had this reaction, but by then it was too late.

"I believe that if his allergies had been regularly reviewed, in the same way his asthma was, this would not have happened. But my son will not have died in vain, I am determined to raise awareness of asthma and allergies, the dangers they can cause, and how they can be managed."

Coroner Theresa Searle recorded a verdict of death by natural causes. She said: "The situation of a lack of understanding and the need for a different approach has been acknowledged and there are already measures being put in place to improve that understanding.

"There is room for improvement, but I do not find that Robert's death was contributed to by neglect on the part of any of the practitioners involved in his care."