Baby inquest verdict expected later
by Liz Wickham
A narrative verdict is expected later at an inquest into the death of a seven-week-old baby, who died from pneumonia.
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GP: centre was not under abnormal pressure
GP David Lee, employed by Harmoni's out-of-hours service, told the inquest that staff at the centre were not under abnormal pressure when Axel was brought in.
When questioned over Harmoni's policies, he conceded the centre would send out urgent text messages to doctors requesting they step in to fill gaps in the rota..
The inquest was told how medics reportedly received messages such as "we are desperate for help" or "very urgent, we need to fill the rota"
Dr Lee said: "It may look like the language is inappropriate but they are very much part of the conversation which occurs between the rota teams and doctors with a view to bringing doctors on to shifts."
He said practitioners would sometimes be offered work at "higher pay grades" as an incentive to step in.
Meanwhile, he told the hearing he believed Dr Takhar was recruited from an agency but would have gone through a thorough interview process.
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Baby suffered cardiac arrest
The inquest has heard how Mrs Peanberg King first took Axel to see her own GP on the morning of October 31, when it was suggested he had a probable viral infection.
The next evening, after his condition had not improved, the family contacted the Harmoni centre and saw Dr Kuljeet Takhar.
He said that Axel's vital signs were good and his lungs were clear, suggesting the infection was probably viral, the inquest was told. But he gave them a prescription for antibiotics so they would not have to return if his condition changed.
The next day, a Friday, the child was still unwell but Mrs Peanberg King felt reassured because she had seen a doctor.
On the Saturday a "gut feeling" told her he should be seen again and they returned to Harmoni. Axel was seen by an off-duty paediatric nurse who raised the alarm and the child was taken from Mrs Peanberg King. She was later told he had gone into cardiac arrest.
Coroner indicates narrative verdict is likely
The coroner has indicated she is likely to give a narrative verdict on the death of seven-week-old Axel Peanberg King.
Dr Shirley Radcliffe told the inquest that she had been unable to find any evidence to suggest a "clear cause" of death.
Coroner: doctors face "worrying" tick-box culture
The coroner, Dr Radcliffe, told the inquest:
"We live in an age where there is an assumption that if it isn't written down, it isn't done, so we can have a situation where doctors do very little in their consultation but have perfect records".
She said: "We can have perfectly good consultations with doctors that cover the ground ... being no good on paper simply because they have not ticked every box which is worrying."
"Essentially GPs now, and most doctors, have to practice defensive medicine in that they have to write lengthy notes.....One would rather they were spending the time assessing individuals and communicating with the family."
Inquest hears that baby died from pneumonia
Axel's mother, Linda Peanberg King, told St Pancras Coroner's Court that she and her husband Alistair made contact with the Harmoni centre in the Whittington Hospital in Archway, after their son fell ill on the night of October 30 last year.
Five days later - after consulting at least three doctors - he died from bronchopneumonia.
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Coroner says GPs are hampered by paperwork
A coroner, hearing an inquest into the death of a seven-week-old baby from Islington, has warned that doctors are forced to work in an age where a "worrying" onus is placed on ticking boxes.
Dr Shirley Radcliffe said GPs were obliged to practice "defensive medicine" where they are required to write lengthy notes on cases when "one would rather they were spending time assessing individuals and communicating with the family".
It came as she heard details of how seven-week-old Axel Peanberg King died from pneumonia after being taken to a privately-run out-of-hours GP centre.
Campaigners "reeling from shock" at hospital cut plans
Campaigners say they're shocked at plans by a hospital to close wards, cut jobs and sell buildings. Bosses at Whittington Hospital in Archway say they want to treat more patients at home, and plan to cap the number of births. Charlene White spoke to local MP Emily Thornberry.
Whittington Hospital to treat more patients at home
Health bosses at Whittington hopsital in North London claim their plan to close wards, axe jobs and sell buildings could be a template for a new kind of district general hospital.
They want it to put more emphasis on treating patients at home. And they also plan to cap the number of births.
The scheme has provoked widespread local opposition.
Our Political Correspondent Simon Harris has the full story.
Whittington boss: older people are best cared for in their own homes
The CEO of Whittington Health, Dr Yi Mien Koh, said that they would provide more care in the community, as older people were best cared for in their own homes.
She spoke to our Political Correspondent Simon Harris.
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