GP slammed after patient dies (From Evesham Journal)

GP slammed after patient dies

12:31pm Thursday 26th April 2007

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A CORONER has blasted an Evesham GP for taking two weeks to realise that an elderly patient was suffering from the killer hospital superbug Clostridium difficile.

Dr Stephen Grant was treating retired factory worker William Wadley with Imodium - the tummy bug remedy available from High Street chemists.

At an inquest into 79-year-old Mr Wadley's death the Gloucestershire coroner Alan Crickmore condemned Dr Grant's 'inadequate and inappropriate' treatment of his patient.

Mr Wadley, of Fairfield Road, Evesham, had spent three weeks in hospital shortly before becoming ill with C-Diff, a hospital-acquired infection which causes acute diahorroea.

But it was sixteen days before Dr Grant had tests carried out to find out the true cause of Mr Wadley's symptoms.

Mr Wadley saw his GP, Dr Grant, on January 23 last year at the Abbey Medical Centre, Evesham, where he presented with a three-day history of upset bowels. But Dr Grant only prescribed pills to stop the complaint.

Confirming that Mr Wadley died from C.Diff, pathologist Dr John McCarthy said: "Earlier intervention would almost certainly have made some difference.

"He would have had a greater chance of recovering had he been treated promptly for the infective process."

But two other consultants said it was 'impossible' to be sure one way or the other that Mr Grant's delayed treatment played a part the death - evidence that the coroner said, on balance, took him away from attaching neglect to his verdict.

The coroner said: "My investigation has been hampered by poor note taking by Dr Grant.

"From the evidence I have heard, he did not take sufficient care to get a proper history about the onset of this man's diahorroea.

"In my view he should have made better enquiries and got a proper history and arranged for a sample to identify the illness rather than prescribing Loperamide.

"In my view Dr Grant's response was inadequate and inappropriate. He did nothing about finding out the cause of the illness, rather than treating the symptoms, until 16 days later.

"If this inquest were based solely on conjecture, it would be hard to get away from the view that the delay affected the outcome. But on the evidence, I cannot say for certain that it contributed to this man's death."

The coroner stopped short of recording a neglect verdict and instead recorded a rare narrative verdict, in the form of a statement which read: "William Wadley died from known complication of antibiotic treatment - pseudo-membraneuous collitis caused by clostridium difficile."

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