Mum says five GPs missed brain tumour

Evie spent five weeks in Sheffield Children's Hospital

The mother of a six-year-old girl says GPs failed to spot her daughter had a brain tumour, despite five appointments.

Clare says she took her daughter Evie to Ancora Medical Practice in Scunthorpe five times in a period of at least 12 months, because the schoolgirl developed daily headaches, vomiting and was falling over.

Five days after the last GP appointment, Evie was taken to Sheffield Children's Hospital by ambulance for emergency surgery to remove a tumour her parents described as "the size of an orange".

A spokesperson for NHS Humber Integrated Care Board said: "It would not be appropriate for us to comment publicly on the specifics of Evie's care," but added it "would welcome the opportunity to speak directly with her family".

Clare and Karl said their daughter Evie will need lifelong care

Clare claimed five different doctors saw her daughter and said she tried to make at least a dozen more appointments, but was told by the GP practice none were available.

She said at the first appointment she was told to take Evie "for an eye test", and said another GP "sent me home with paracetamol and told me to keep a diary of her headaches."

She claimed GPs questioned the frequency of Evie's headaches. "Nobody believed us. We were called paranoid parents, but she just got worse and worse."

Clare said one GP referred Evie to Scunthorpe General Hospital to see a paediatrician, but her daughter was still on the waiting list.

Evie's father, Karl, said: "She'd gone from being bubbly, laughing, the most sociable girl. Then, she didn't want to play, she didn't want to talk."

"You watch your kids grow up but we were watching our daughter go backwards."

Evie had five appointments at Ancora Medical Practice, Scunthorpe

On 7 November, Evie fell down the stairs and her mother took her to Ancora Medical Practice for another appointment.

Five days later, Evie was drowsy and unable to move her head, so her parents took her to Scunthorpe A&E where she was given a brain scan.

"Seven people walked in," Clare recalled, "and that's when they broke the news that they'd found a huge mass in her head, the ambulance was waiting outside and she was going on blue lights to Sheffield Children's Hospital.

"It was only when we got there the word 'brain tumour' was used and they said her life was in danger and they would be operating the next morning."

"She was in there 12 hours," Clare added. "We were told we might not get her back and that she might not be able to breathe for herself if we did get her back."

Evie had a 12-hour operation to remove a tumour 'the size of an orange'

Evie's parents said doctors at the hospital told them the tumour had been pressing on her brain stem.

Evie now has epilepsy and hydrocephalus and had to have a device called a shunt fitted in her brain to drain away fluid.

"She needs constant care," said Claire. "She can't walk properly so she requires a wheelchair. She has seizures. It's frightening."

Her father Karl added "Life's never going to be the same. We can't leave Evie in a room, we can't leave Evie in a bath like you would a normal six-year-old."

Evie now uses a wheelchair

A spokesperson for NHS Humber Integrated Care Board, which is responsible for GP practices in North Lincolnshire, said "We would like to send our best wishes to Evie as she recovers from her operation.

"Whilst it would not be appropriate for us to comment publicly on the specifics of Evie's care, we would welcome the opportunity to speak directly with her family to understand more about their experiences," the spokesperson added.

Evie's parents are lodging a formal complaint while they wait for the tumour to be analysed to find out if it is cancerous. Evie hopes to return to school, three days a week, for one hour a day.

Clare said: "I'm angry that my daughter has been allowed to suffer, but I'd say more than anything, as a mum, just trust your instincts.

"If you disagree with that doctor, fight," she continued. "If I could go back in time, I'd camp out in A&E, but I trusted the doctors, I trusted the GPs and they got it wrong. They got it very, very wrong."

Karl added "We went through the right channels, but it still makes you feel like I wasn't there to protect my daughter and that's an horrendous feeling we will live with forever."

"People that we trusted let us down."

Patients at risk

A recent report from the NHS safety watchdog said patients are at risk of having serious health conditions missed because of the lack of continuity of care provided by GPs.

The Health Services Safety Investigations Body said that did not necessarily mean always seeing the same GP, but sharing information in an efficient way. It found many IT systems used by GPs did not allow doctors to access clinical histories and information quickly and easily.