Ellie-May Clark died after GP turned her away for being late

[zenkai]

Source



A five-year-old girl with a history of asthma was turned away from seeing her doctor because she was "late" - and died that night in hospital.

An inquest heard Ellie-May Clark was not seen by Grange Clinic in Newport despite having an emergency appointment because it operated a "10 minute rule".

A chance to "provide potentially life-saving treatment was missed" said the coroner, giving a narrative verdict.

Ellie-May's family say "she was let down by the system".

Call to publish GMC's Ellie-May GP findings

Ellie-May's mother Shanice Clark told the inquest in Newport she requested a home visit when her daughter began wheezing and was unable to walk home from Malpas Court Primary School in January 2015.
Media captionEllie-May's grandmother Brandi Clark told the BBC in 2017 that Ellie-May was "so funny and loving"

Instead, she was offered an emergency slot for 25 minutes later. She said she told the receptionist she might be late as she had to arrange childcare and catch a bus.

Ms Clark said when she arrived at the surgery in the Malpas area of Newport she was five minutes late for her 17:00 appointment but had spoken to the receptionist by 17:10.

But this time was disputed by former receptionist Ann Jones who told the inquest she believed it was 18 minutes past five when the doctor was informed that Ellie-May had arrived.

The child's mother was then told by GP Dr Joanne Rowe, a partner in the surgery and its lead for child safeguarding, that she would have to return in the morning.

However, the coroner heard this was the first time the rule had been imposed on an emergency appointment.

Ms Clark said she was "angry" and "upset" when they were asked to come back. She said Ellie asked: "Why won't the doctor see me?"

Dr Rowe did not ask the reason behind Ellie-May's emergency appointment, or look into her medical notes before refusing to see her.

The hearing was told Ms Clark continued to check on her daughter at home every 10 to 15 minutes and at about 22:30 she was coughing.

Ms Clark said Ellie-May then fell off the bed and was turning blue. She was taken to the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport by ambulance but died.

The inquest was told that the cause of death was bronchial asthma.

The family released a statement and were "disappointed that a finding of neglect was not reached".

"The family acknowledge an apology from Dr Rowe, especially as they have been waiting in excess of three years for an outcome and to receive answers to their questions," said their lawyer Justin Chisnall.

The coroner will write a report to the clinic and the local health board to address the lack of an effective and robust care plan for Ellie-May.

A spokesman for Aneurin Bevan University Health Board said it would be "inappropriate to comment whilst we await the coroner's report".

What kind of monster turns down someone for an emergency appointment because they are over 10 minutes late!?

[ro9ue]

I never heard of "being late" for an emergency appointment. You go to the ER they take you in first come first serve and it runs 24/7. At least here in the states.

[Dalheim]

What kind of monster turns down someone for an emergency appointment because they are over 10 minutes late!?

Didn't you read the article? It says right there who did it.

Yeah, this is retarded, if its real.

[Maybach]

More to the point why didn't the dumbass parent call an ambulance for her child if she couldn't breath???

[death87]

More to the point why didn't the dumbass parent call an ambulance for her child if she couldn't breath???

because many times driving to a hospital is faster??

Ambulance is reserved for someone unable to be safely moved without medical professional experience.

[Daedius]

Making an appointment for an emergency... wtf?

[anveena]

The wonders of socialized healthcare.

[I Push Buttons]

In the doctor's defense, why would you go to a GP for an "emergency"? And why did the parents take her home afterward instead of going to a hospital if it was indeed an emergency?

[Babadoo]

Lol Wales.

[Lorgar Aurelian]

The wonders of socialized healthcare.

How is that relevent?

[Doctor Funkenstein]

Making an appoint for an emergency... wtf?

Don't worry, the British health care system is far superior to the American one! They'll keep trying to tell you that even after countless incidents like this one.

I had a friend in England who had to wait three weeks to see a doctor over a serious condition. All while it takes maybe 15 minutes for me to see an ER doctor at my local hospital whenever something serious pops up. (In before the "no way u haf 2 wait 3-4 hrs 2 see doktor, i see it on tv all time!!!!!" numbskulls pop up.)

Sure, it costs more, but you actually do get some perks from it, too.

[Unholyground]

because many times driving to a hospital is faster??

Ambulance is reserved for someone unable to be safely moved without medical professional experience.

That is not true, ambulances don't have to wait for lights, people have to pull over to let them go.

[Freighter]

And why did the parents take her home afterward instead of going to a hospital if it was indeed an emergency?

Because most people usually think the staff working in those places to be competent and think it's safe to do as they say?

[Heladys]

Don't worry, the British health care system is far superior to the American one! They'll keep trying to tell you that even after countless incidents like this one.

I had a friend in England who had to wait three weeks to see a doctor over a serious condition. All while it takes maybe 15 minutes for me to see an ER doctor at my local hospital whenever something serious pops up. (In before the "no way u haf 2 wait 3-4 hrs 2 see doktor, i see it on tv all time!!!!!" numbskulls pop up.)

Sure, it costs more, but you actually do get some perks from it, too.

The whole point is there aren't countless examples. There are far fewer than your glorious american flaming dumpster of a system.

[Freighter]

That is not true, ambulances don't have to wait for lights, people have to pull over to let them go.

Depends on where you live, the amount of traffic, the ambulance has to drive to your place and then back to the hospital. You only have to drive to the hospital.

[Rustedsaint]

Sounds like fail at both sides, why wouldn’t you go to the hospital if it was an emergency? And this late rule this clinic has is stupid for when they have an emergency

[Unholyground]

Depends on where you live, the amount of traffic, the ambulance has to drive to your place and then back to the hospital. You only have to drive to the hospital.

Ambulances where I live don't wait at the hospital all day, a lot of them drive around similar to a police beat so they are closer to shit when shit happens.

[MatadorMedia]

In the doctor's defense, why would you go to a GP for an "emergency"? And why did the parents take her home afterward instead of going to a hospital if it was indeed an emergency?

This, exactly. Your local family doctor is not there for emergencies; go to the hospital or urgent care.

[roent]

That really sucks.

ER docs are ultimately hospital-based general practitioners who specialize in only acute care. So to see your GP for an asthma exacerbation isn't a big deal... ideally you'd like to be kept out of a hospital environment (cost, exposure to pathogens, etc).

In the US, it's pretty common now to see $50 fees for showing up late to your outpatient doctor appt and to have to reschedule. Though if you were acutely ill, they're almost always going to let the doctor / NP / PA make the call on booting you because no one wants to take responsibility for getting sued.

Not sure how this works in a socialized system... is the mother allowed to sue in this situation? Who is at fault? They don't specify in the GP saw the kid... I'm guessing the receptionist said, "they're late, Mom is pissed, what do you want me to do" and GP said, "follow policy, reschedule." It's done because when people are late, it starts a domino effect and the entire schedule way behind quickly. Just a shame that it resulted in this kid's death.

[Freighter]

Ambulances where I live don't wait at the hospital all day, a lot of them drive around similar to a police beat so they are closer to shit when shit happens.

So? It's not like they're at your doorstep the second you call. It could still be faster for you to drive there.