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  1. #1
    DF Founder Raptor's Avatar
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    BBC News Girl, five, died of asthma attack after GP turned her away


    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.
    Her family is calling for a criminal inquiry into the doctor and said she should be struck off the GP register.
    Dr Rowe, 53, was given a warning by the General Medical Council and has now moved to another practice.
    Ellie-May's grandmother, Brandi Clark, 43, said: "They were a few minutes late and Shanice [Ellie-May's mother] even told the receptionist they wouldn't be there on time.
    "But Dr Rowe sent them away.
    "Her decision cost our gorgeous little girl her life.
    "Our lives have been shattered, but Dr Rowe has been allowed to get a new job and quietly move on with her life as if nothing ever happened."
    Emergency appointment

    Ellie-May had a history of severe asthma and had been treated five times in a hospital high dependency unit.
    Dr Rowe's practice had been warned by a paediatrician that Ellie-May was at risk of a life-threatening asthma attack.
    She was sent home from school early on 26 January, 2015 because teachers were concerned her asthma was "deteriorating".
    Her mother, 25-year-old Shanice Clark, made an emergency appointment at the Grange Clinic in Newport and was told to get there at 17:00.
    This gave her 25 minutes to arrange childcare for her two-month-old baby and ask a friend to give her a lift to the surgery a mile away.
    Ms Clark claims her mobile phone was showing 17:04 when she arrived, but that she then had to queue at the reception desk.
    'Terribly let down'

    After being turned away, Ms Clark took her daughter home and dialled 999 at 22.35 when she suffered a seizure and stopped breathing.
    She was taken to the Royal Gwent Hospital, in Newport, by ambulance.
    Doctors told her they worked on Ellie-May for half an hour, but were unable to bring her back.
    Ms Clark, a single mother, was too upset to talk about losing her little girl, but Ellie-May's grandmother said: "We all feel terribly let down, I think Dr Rowe should go to jail for what she did. I can't believe she was not struck off.
    "We haven't even had an apology from Dr Rowe who has got away with just a slap on the wrist.
    "She has been allowed to get on with her life, get another job and move on."
    Dr Rowe, who qualified in 1986, was a senior partner at The Grange Clinic for 22 years where she was in charge of child safeguarding at the practice.
    The GMC investigation found she "failed to consider the medical history of the child" and gave her a warning which will stay on her record for five years.
    'Angry outbursts'

    The GMC told her: "Your failure to see and assess this child does not meet with the standards required of a doctor.
    "It risks bringing the profession into disrepute and it must not be repeated."
    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".
    Suspended for six months

    It says: "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.
    Dr Rowe, who lives in Cardiff, declined to comment when contacted by the BBC.
    A spokeswoman for Aneurin Bevan Health Board said: "Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Ellie May.
    "We can confirm that Dr Rowe no longer works within the health board area, and also that we referred the doctor to the General Medical Council who investigated in accordance with their procedures."
    The Gwent Coroner is investigating the death and an inquest is due to be held.
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  2. #2
    DF General DogsBody
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    Default Re: Girl, five, died of asthma attack after GP turned her away

    The doctor in this should have been struck off

    Thanks to Mickey

    the.insane (26th February 2017)  


  3. #3
    DF VIP Member the.insane's Avatar
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    Default Re: Girl, five, died of asthma attack after GP turned her away

    RIP little girl.

    Yes, the doctor shouldn'y only be struck off but be criminally chaged as they have a duty of care and should have known better.

  4. #4
    DF VIP Member DavidF's Avatar
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    Default Re: Girl, five, died of asthma attack after GP turned her away

    Wow just bloody wow. Im a miserable bugger at the best of times....but even as a stressed electrician I would never leave a vulnerable person without say electricity for an evening...how the fook can a human being be so callous as to turn a mere child away due to something that would have caused the doc nothing more than a minor inconvenience. I hope this doctor see's that poor child's face in front of her as she tries to go to sleep each night.....Surely she must be struck off due to breaking her Hippocratic oath or whatever it is.

  5. #5
    Mummy's little soldier I Black Belt's Avatar
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    Default Re: Girl, five, died of asthma attack after GP turned her away

    I in no way condone the doctors lack of actions,but fuck me - What parent, having been refused to be seen by a GP for being late wouldn't have

    A. Kicked up a holy show in the surgery, or
    B Taken her to A+E or dialled three 9's?

    What an absolute tragedy - Poor little mite.

    5 Thanks given to I Black Belt

    AD (27th February 2017),  Bald Bouncer (26th February 2017),  BertRoot (27th February 2017),  elephantsoup (27th February 2017),  the.insane (5th March 2017)  


  6. #6
    DF VIP Member Over Carl's Avatar
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    Default Re: Girl, five, died of asthma attack after GP turned her away

    Quote Originally Posted by DavidF View Post
    Wow just bloody wow. Im a miserable bugger at the best of times....but even as a stressed electrician I would never leave a vulnerable person without say electricity for an evening...how the fook can a human being be so callous as to turn a mere child away due to something that would have caused the doc nothing more than a minor inconvenience. I hope this doctor see's that poor child's face in front of her as she tries to go to sleep each night.....Surely she must be struck off due to breaking her Hippocratic oath or whatever it is.
    I know what you mean. I've often been out late pissing around with someone's car until something like 9-10pm just because I understood how someone desperately needed it. Funny how people like us show more love to our patients (electrical installs in your case or cars in my case) than doctors often show to human beings.

    I don't think breaking the Hippocratic Oath has any consequence otherwise I'm guessing all the doctors used by ATOS would have been struck off.

    @ diablos, kick up a fuss and you might get denied service. I believe it's common for GP's to have notices saying aggressive/violent patients may not been seen. They basically have you over a barrel.

    My personal suspicion - I believe in the past (e.g. 80's and before), GP's were paid to work, but the NHS took responsibility for paying for medicines. Some point in the 90's, GP's were given the option to be allocated a "budget" for each patient meaning the practise would have to balance the books for costs of treatments. I believe most of them took this up as they could profit from it. However it then introduced a conflict of interest where the GP may gain from failing to make a referral, failing to prescribe medicines, or prescribing generic medicines.

    I'm not 100% sure, but I think as part of these changes, GP's were also allowed to discontinue providing out of hours services and pass these own to other companies.

    End effect is GP's get paid more money for less work, and now a conflict of interest has been created which could compromise a GP's willingness to help a patient.

    Few years down the line and government wants to make cuts and it is apparent the NHS is falling apart.

    So government try and deflect blame on GP's, and fail to ensure adequate funding for GP's. Suddenly GP's not getting the money they got used to, getting annoyed with having blame for government failures pointed at them, and also have got into a mindset of treating a person while trying to minimise cost.

    My suspicion is the end result of these effects is that GP's stop giving a shit about their patients and start to view them as a drain on their resources.

    2 Thanks given to Over Carl

    Bald Bouncer (26th February 2017),  DavidF (26th February 2017)  


  7. #7
    DF VIP Member BertRoot's Avatar
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    Default Re: Girl, five, died of asthma attack after GP turned her away

    Quote Originally Posted by Over Carl View Post
    I don't think breaking the Hippocratic Oath has any consequence otherwise I'm guessing all the doctors used by ATOS would have been .
    Most ATOS advisers aren't practicing medical staff any more and that is why they are working doing assessments so not covered by the oath. Why they aren't employed as actual doctors or nurses is down to anyone's guess...

    I do find this appalling but also question if she is regretting that last toot before she left the house.


  8. #8
    DF VIP Member Bald Bouncer's Avatar
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    Default Re: Girl, five, died of asthma attack after GP turned her away

    After being turned away, Ms Clark took her daughter home and dialled 999 at 22.35 when she suffered a seizure and stopped breathing.
    She was taken to the Royal Gwent Hospital, in Newport, by ambulance.
    My reaction would have been anger followed by right I am going to make an official complaint about this but now I am taking my daughter straight to A&E, I would not be returning home with her and waiting another 5 hours, I think there is a bit more to this story than the sensational headlines.

    2 Thanks given to Bald Bouncer

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  9. #9
    DF VIP Member rmj2663's Avatar
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    Default Re: Girl, five, died of asthma attack after GP turned her away

    Quote Originally Posted by Bald Bouncer View Post
    My reaction would have been anger followed by right I am going to make an official complaint about this but now I am taking my daughter straight to A&E, I would not be returning home with her and waiting another 5 hours, I think there is a bit more to this story than the sensational headlines.
    Fully agree. If GP refused to see my kid at an emergency appointment, I would be straight to A&E, not pissing around for 5 hours waiting for the shit to hit the fan.
    Must be more to this story, although the GP was still a cnut for not seeing the kid.

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