The family of Pauline Cafferkey, who has suffered a relapse of the Ebola virus, say she has been let down by an out-of-hours GP who discharged her without treatment.
Ms Cafferkey, 39, worked as a volunteer nurse in Sierra Leone last year. She returned to her home in Glasgow just after Christmas but soon fell ill with the disease.
She was treated at London’s Royal Free Hospital, where she eventually recovered after falling into a critically ill condition.
She is now back in the isolation ward at the Royal Free, once again receiving treatment for the deadly Ebola virus which has been lying dormant in her central nervous system.
Doctors say she has developed meningitis as a result and faces a ‘long recovery ahead”.
“Absolutely diabolical”
Last week, Ms Cafferkey’s sister criticised the actions of an out-of-hours GP who failed to recognise the nurse was suffering from a potentially lethal relapse.
Toni Cafferkey described how her sister attended the GP service on Monday night but he diagnosed a virus and sent her away. It was not until Friday that she was flown to London for emergency treatment.
She said: “At that point me and my family believe they missed a big opportunity to give the right diagnosis and we feel she was let down. Instead of being taken into hospital, she spent the whole of Tuesday very ill.”
“I think it is absolutely diabolical the way she has been treated…We don’t know if the delays diagnosing Pauline have had an adverse effect on her health, but we intend to find out.”
“It has not been good enough. We think there have been major failings and we just want her to pull through.”
Delayed diagnosis claims
If you or your loved one has suffered because doctors failed to diagnose a virus in time, please get in touch with our legal team today.
Share Article With:
|
|
|
|
|
|
