The blame trial: GP practice that dealt with Alexis has questions to answer

WITH the conviction of Mark Simpson, the focus of the inquiry into the death of Alexis Matheson will switch to the Woodside Medical Group.

The fatal accident inquiry announced yesterday by the Crown Office will look into whether better care could have saved the baby's life. Lord Uist made three stinging criticisms of the practice and Dr Helen Fernandes, a leading neurosurgeon, intensified the pressure by saying the child should have been referred to a paediatrician.

Kirsty Cook, manager of the practice in Woodside, Aberdeen, which has ten GPs, will have to explain why it took a week for the baby to be seen by a doctor from when Alexis' mother, Ilona Sheach, first phoned saying she was concerned about her health.

The practice's website says urgent cases will be seen the same day. The FAI will look at whether Alexis' case was classed as urgent and if not, why not.

The prescription of three different drugs without a personal examination of Alexis was also criticised by both the judge and consultant neurosurgeon.

Woodside's website encourages people to telephone for advice in some cases. "We may also direct you to a pharmacist to purchase medications over the counter," it says.

Both the policy, and the way it was interpreted by the doctor who spoke to Ms Sheach, will be scrutinised as part of the FAI.

Finally, and perhaps most crucially, Dr Fernandes said the GP who examined Alexis on 29 November should have referred her to a specialist. The baby had subconjunctival haemorrhages in both eyes, injuries she could not have suffered by accident. That examination took place 11 days before she died. If a paediatrician had seen her and decided she was being abused, she would certainly have been taken away from Simpson and may have survived.