Student, 19, died from sepsis after trying to call GP surgery 25 times only to be refused an appointment

A UNIVERSITY student died from sepsis after trying to call his GP surgery 25 times – only to be refused an appointment.

Toby Hudson, 19, was unable to get through to anyone at the practice because of a faulty phone system, an inquest heard.

He gave up and tried again the next day but when he eventually got through, he was told he could not have an appointment for at least 48 hours.

The teen was told that because he was registered at another surgery in his university town of Southampton, Hants, he could either wait two days to re-register or go to an urgent care walk-in centre.

He went to the centre and was seen by nurse practitioner Briony Jefferis, who wrongly diagnosed him with tonsillitis and gave him antibiotics.

Over the next 24 hours Mr Hudson's condition deteriorated in front of his parents who called 999 when he slipped into unconsciousness.

He went into cardiac arrest but was delayed in getting to hospital because an ambulance went to the wrong location.

Toby died on the night of July 4, 2019, two days after he had first sought help at the Wyke Regis & Lanehouse Medical Practice in Weymouth, Dorset.

SURGERY BATTLE

A post mortem examination showed Toby died from multiple organ failure due to sepsis, as a result of infectious mononucleosis (glandular fever).

An inquest into his death in Bournemouth heard he had previously been a patient at the Weymouth practice.

However, when he moved to Southampton to study chemistry he registered at a new clinic closer to campus.

We were having tremendous problems with our phone system which could not handle a much higher number of calls.

The teen had been suffering from a cough for around two months before he returned to his family home in Weymouth in the summer of 2019.

He had swollen glands and 'puffy' tonsils and a sore throat when his parents told him to speak to a GP.

Giving evidence, Dr Matthew Brook, a partner at the Wake Regis & Lanehouse Medical Practice, admitted issues with the phone system due to a high patient load.

Dr Brook said: "We were having tremendous problems with our phone system which could not handle a much higher number of calls.

"There was a queuing system but in a lot of cases people were waiting a long time and then hanging up.

"We have had a review since then and nobody recalled taking the call from Toby."

Dr Brook insisted that the correct procedures had been followed. According to national guidelines, temporary residents should only be seen by a GP if they do not require urgent care.

He said: "With temporary residents, receptionists are told to ask whether a patient needs an urgent appointment, within 48 hours.

"If they do require one within 48 hours we refer them to the urgent care unit.

"If not, the patient is re-registered and we are then able to make an appointment."

'NOT REMOTELY WORRIED'

Mrs Jefferis said she was 'not remotely worried' about Toby's symptoms when she examined him at the urgent care centre in Weymouth Community Hospital.

She said: "I met with Toby on July 3. He was seen by a triage nurse and then by myself around ten minutes later.

"He had a normal temperature of 36.1 degrees, a heart rate of 102bpm and rated his pain at an eight out of ten.

"He did not show any signs of sepsis and his symptoms were consistent with those of tonsillitis.

"He was given penicillin and told to return if he did not feel an improvement over the next two days.

"Neither myself nor the triage nurse were remotely worried."

Toby's dad, Peter, said he came home on July 4 to find Toby under a blanket on the sofa and looking pale.

There were issues with communication. The backup crew went to our home address andfrom what neighbours have told me they had trouble finding the house.

He helped him into the wet room of the house where his son's eye's rolled back in his head, there were bubbles of spit in his mouth and he briefly lost consciousness.

Mr Hudson dialled both 111 and 999 and an ambulance was dispatched.

His son was then taken from his home address in Weymouth to the Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester.

He went into cardiac arrest in the back of the ambulance and backup had to be called for.

But the second crew of paramedics initially went to the Hudson home three miles from where the ambulance was, before realising their mistake. It was almost 15 minutes before they arrived at the correct scene.

Toby was later taken into theatre at the hospital but died at hospital that night.

Mr Hudson said: "I felt there was no urgency. I had to press for action to be taken and for our concerns to be heard.

"There were issues with communication. The backup crew went to our home address andfrom what neighbours have told me they had trouble finding the house.

"They were knocking on doors before they realised what had happened.

"They then had to travel almost three miles to where the ambulance actually was through Weymouth summer traffic and through roadworks.

"We have a lot of concerns about his care."

The inquest continues.

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