Quote:
A five-year-old girl died of an asthma attack after being turned away by a GP because she arrived minutes late for her appointment.
Ellie-May Clark and her mother, from Newport, were told to return the next morning by Dr Joanne Rowe, a specialist in safeguarding children.
The little girl died five hours later, on 26 January 2015.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-s...wales-39095656
Quote:
An inquiry by the Aneurin Bevan Health Board, which controls the surgery, also found Dr Rowe had "failed to make any clinical assessment".
The health board's report said Ms Clark and Ellie-May arrived eight minutes late, contrary to the family's claim it was four minutes.
The confidential report said reception staff rang through to Dr Rowe, but she shouted back at a receptionist "something like 'No I'm not seeing her, she's late'."
Dr Rowe claimed she was with another patient when she turned them away.
But the health board checked computer records at the surgery which showed the doctor did not see any patients between 16:55 and 17:20 after a number of cancellations that day.
The Serious Concern report also said reception staff were afraid of Dr Rowe, who was known for "repeated angry outbursts"...
... "There is a consensus that Dr Rowe is unapproachable and volatile. Many staff reported being afraid to challenge her decisions or seek a second opinion from one of the other doctors."
The report concludes that it was Dr Rowe's usual practice to refuse to see patients who arrived late for either routine or emergency appointments.
After being suspended on full pay for six months, Dr Rowe has since joined the Cloughmore Surgery in Splott, Cardiff.
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What an awful and entirely unnecessary episode! I must say I find the GP's punishment inexplicable given the false claims and 'repeated outbursts'. I don't think I'd want her to be seeing any of my loved ones!
What I can't understand is why the child wasn't taken to A&E or an ambulance called immediately after the GP's refusal? There may be a good reason for that but I can't see it.
So tragic.