Doctor's misdiagnosis of stroke led to clinical negligence compensation

The family of a man whose stroke was misdiagnosed over the phone by an out of hours agency doctor, who did not visit the patient, received a six-figure compensation settlement for clinical negligence.

The damages payment was revealed during a hearing by the General Medical Council which met to decide if the doctor involved should be prevented from continuing to work in the UK.

The doctor, a Nigerian, twice refused to go out to the 48-year-old man from Braintree, Essex, who had telephoned to say he was suffering from severe vomiting and crippling headaches. She prescribed anti-sickness medication because she believed he was suffering from vertigo rather than the stroke from which he died 48 hours later.

When his wife eventually called an ambulance, paramedics also suggested he had vertigo and gave him painkillers. The following morning the previously-fit father of two fell out of bed and was then taken to hospital for treatment but doctors were unable to save him.

The GMC decided not to strike off the agency GP for the misdiagnosis but put a five-year warning about her behaviour on her record.

The settlement award to compensate the negligence victim's family for the mistakes was made against the family doctor and the East of England NHS Ambulance Trust.