GP’s care questioned at inquest

9:33am Saturday 9th June 2007

A FAMILY has questioned the standard of care given to a woman who died less than 24 hours after being examined by her doctor.

An inquest heard that the doctor carried out a chest examination on Rishton woman Patricia Hutchinson, 52, but did not detect the cancer which led to her death.

And her brother, James O'Brien, questioned whether the doctor had met her "duty of care". But, after hearing evidence from the GP, Dr Helen Farrimond, coroner Michael Singleton recorded a verdict of natural causes.

Mrs Hutchinson, of Maple Crescent, suffered two falls in the weeks before her death, one resulting in a sore back and the other a fractured wrist.

The inquest was told that Dr Farrimond made a home visit on March 15, when she examined the wrist and carried out a chest examination.

On returning to the surgery she consulted with a more senior doctor and wrote a note to be taken to hospital suggesting the need for X-rays of the injured wrist and chest. She also made out a prescription for Cocodamol to relieve the wrist pain.

Shaun Hutchinson, the dead woman's son, told how he went to his mum's house after the doctor's visit and offered to take her to hospital. He said she said she didn't feel up to it. But the following morning, Shaun said he found her in a semi-conscious state and she was rushed to hospital by ambulance. She died later that day.

Dr Mohammed Aslam, who carried out a post-mortem examination, gave the cause of death as streptococcal meningitis and septicaemia, bronchopneumonia, and adencarcin-oma of the left lung.

He described the tumour as very aggressive and, as a result, Mrs Hutchinson developed broncho-pneumonia. The infection got into the blood system causing the septicaemia which travelled into the skull and developed as streptococcal meningitis.

In response to a question from Mr Hutchinson, Dr Aslam said that if she had gone to hospital a day earlier the problems would have been diagnosed a day sooner, but there would have been no treatment available for the cancer.

Coroner Mr Singleton said he hoped the evidence had put an end to the family's concerns, particularly in respect of Mrs Hutchinson's treatment on March 15.