An elderly woman who was rushed to hospital with s

An elderly woman who was rushed to hospital with severe
‘flu’ symtoms was discharged but readmitted eight hours later with
‘virulent’ meningitis.

Housewife Rose Neale, 58, died later that day after a
week long trauma for her family who claim that doctors and GPs
made a ‘series of mistakes’, Southwark Coroners Court heard on
Friday.

Coroner Sir Montague Levine recorded that her death was due
to natural causes but stated that there were ‘grave conflicts’ in
the evidence surrounding Mrs Neale’s death on July 14 this year.

A simple viral infection, probably from bad teeth, had caused
blood desease and then a virulant strain of meningitis, it was said.

The court heard that Mrs Neale of Eldred Drive, Orpington,
fell ill on July 9 and took to her bed.

Her husband, Robert, a retired salesman, called a doctor on
July 11.

He diagnosed flu and said that she should take a couple
of Paracetamol tablets.

Mr Neale told the inquest: ‘She had a terrible night and the
next day had a bad headache and could not bear to be touched.

‘I described the symptoms to the doctor and he advised that
she keep taking the tablets.

Things got much worse that day,’ he said.

Family GP, Dr Rama Gupta visited the next day and still saw no
cause for alarm in the state of her health.

He told the inquest: ‘She kept saying she was a little depressed
and would feel better when the weather improved.

‘
He denied allegations made in court by the family that he had not
properly examined her.

On July 13 Mr Neale rushed Rose to Queen Mary’s Hospital in an
ambulance where she was seen at 7.

45pm by casualty officer Dr
Pabesh Patel.

He told the court that Mrs Neale displayed none of the classic
symptoms of meningitis such as a stiff neck and photophobia, fear of
light.

The deceased’s family showed visible grief and anger at this
stage in the hearing and Mr Neale accused the doctor of being blind
to her state of health.

He said: ‘When we arrived at the hospital my wife was in a semi-
comatosed state and even though she arrived in an ambulance she was
discharged and we were told to take her home.

‘I was just so shocked that she wasn’t kept in over night,’ he said.

The family said that she been moaning at home about a stiff shoulder
and had also complained about the bright house lights.

Mr Neale shouted at the doctor giving evidence: ‘I would say that it
was a whole series of mistakes by doctors and GPs that have been
pushed to the back.

‘Doctors are human, they make mistakes and I understand that,’ he
said covering his tearful eyes.

On the night of her discharge the family took her home and were
pleased to see her settling into bed for a good night’s sleep.

The next day she was unresponsive, physically or verbally.

After being rushed to Queen Mary’s hospital she was transferred to
The Brook Hospital in Greenwich were she spent some hours in deep coma
and then died.

One of England’s top neurologists, Dr Rakitsrala Doshi, said that
cells in Mrs Neale’s brain had swollen up putting immense pressure on
her brain and that this had forced respiratory failure.

She said: ‘This was a particularly virulant type of
meningitis and probably only took 24-48 hours to develop and lead
to her death.

‘In her case an infection, probably from rotten teeth, led to blood
disease and then meningitis,’ she explained.

The cause of death was given as streptococcal meningitis.

ENDS