Published: 2017 February 27 19:20:48 (13726 Views)

A five-year-old girl died just hours after a GP refused to see her because she turned up a few minutes late for an emergency appointment.

Ellie-May Clark had been due to see Dr Joanne Rowe, 53, at her local surgery The Grange Clinic, in Newport, south Wales at 5pm on January 26, 2015, after suffering an asthma attack at school.

Her mother, Shanice, says they were four minutes late for the appointment, at which point Dr Rowe told the receptionist, 'No I'm not seeing her, she's late', despite being aware of her condition.

At 10.35pm, Shanice discovered Ellie-May having an asthma attack and found her not breathing.

She was rushed to Royal Gwent Hospital but died shortly after.

Dr Rowe continues to practice after escaping with just a 'slap on the wrist' following a disciplinary hearing held behind closed doors, according to the Mail On Sunday.



A 'confidential' NHS report, uncovered by the paper, highlighted Dr Rowe's handling of the incident and revealed that the 'root cause' of the girl's death was the doctor's refusal to see her.

It also reportedly found that the GP turned the child away without asking a single question about her condition and that minutes after she was taken home, another GP questioned why Dr Rowe had turned them away.

The GP claimed she was 'in the middle' of seeing a patient when the five-year-old arrived but the surgery's system showed that she did not have a patient at the time.

Dr Rowe, 53, was suspended for six months on full pay following Ellie-May's death in Newport and agreed to accept a written warning not to do it again.

She now works at another surgery in Cardiff.

Now, campaigners are calling for a reform of General Medical Council hearings.



Source - Metro

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