Face-to-face GP appointments petition hits 100,000

A petition, calling for mandatory face-to-face GP appointments after the death of a woman who was misdiagnosed over the phone, has received more than 100,000 signatures - the level for a parliamentary debate.

Laura Barlow, 33, from Sibsey near Boston, was told she had endometriosis during a telephone call with a GP, in October 2023.

After receiving a cancer diagnosis in mid-January, the mother-of-three was told in February she was so ill she should go home from hospital to spend time with her family. She died three days later.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care (DoHSC) said: "Patients who prefer a face-to-face appointment should have one."

Mrs Barlow's husband, Mike, believes opportunities were missed for his wife to start treatment due to her misdiagnosis.

“I think if they'd seen Laura face-to-face they'd have seen how much pain she was in," he told the BBC.

"Laura died because she was misdiagnosed over the phone. If blood tests had been done we'd have known what was happening.

"Could we have had more time? We will never know because that opportunity was taken away from us," he said.

The petition, started by a friend, has gathered enough signatures to be discussed in Parliament. Mr Barlow hopes MPs will support the proposal.

"People are dying because of this," he added.

Mr Barlow said they had also received thank you messages from people who had been given the confidence "to push to see a GP" after hearing of the family's experience.

He said he hoped Laura's legacy would be that "all patients will have a choice".

Mrs Barlow initially phoned her GP at the Stickney Surgery after finding blood in her stool. She was diagnosed with endometriosis over the phone and given medication, Mr Barlow said.

An appointment was booked for her to visit the gynaecology department at Pilgrim Hospital in January, but in mid-December, she became ill at work.

Mr Barlow previously told the BBC he had tried to take her to the GP, but was advised to go to the urgent treatment centre at Pilgrim Hospital.

However, according to Mr Barlow, the hospital said because she was already under treatment for endometriosis, there was little they could do.

Mr Barlow believes that had a blood test been taken at either the GP surgery or the hospital, the cancer could have been discovered.

At the end of December, Mrs Barlow went back to A&E. On 2 January, she underwent an ultrasound and lesions were found.

She was admitted to Pilgrim Hospital in mid-January and received a cancer diagnosis. On 2 February, the couple were told her condition was untreatable.

In response, the DoHSC said: "Our deepest sympathies are with all those involved in this tragic case.

"Patients who prefer a face-to-face appointment should have one.

"We will fix the front door of the NHS by bringing back the family doctor for those who want to go to the same clinician regularly, and we will ensure everyone who wants to see their GP in person can do so, including by hiring 1,000 extra GPs this year."

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