Kent GP's "neglect" contributed to death of teenage girl, rules coroner

A coroner has ruled that a Kent GP's neglect contributed to the death of a teenage girl. 15-year-old Rosie Umney was sent home with antibiotics for an 'ear infection' after the doctor failed to see that she was in a diabetic crisis.

An inquest heard that the GP failed to spot Rosie Umney's "classic symptoms" of dangerously low insulin levels.

The coroner heard that when Dr Mangi saw Rosie at the William Street Surgery, she failed to see that the 15-year-old was showing symptoms of ketoacidosis; a serious problem that can affect people with diabetes if their body starts to run out of insulin.

Rosie had been vomiting, hyperventilating and struggling to walk. Her mother had told her GP that Rosie's blood sugar levels had been normal that day, which was discovered to be the result of a faulty testing kit at home.

But the coroner said that given Rosie's history and symptoms, Dr Mangi should have conducted her own tests as stipulated by the guidelines issued to GPs.

After being sent home, Rosie stopped breathing and went into cardiac arrest and was rushed to hospital, where she later died.

The family's lawyer, Clare Milne, said: "It was recognised by the coroner that Rosie should have been sent straight to hospital by her GP and the failure to do mounted to neglect and contributed to her death. We hope the medical profession can learn from today's findings so this never again happens to another family."

In an emotional tribute outside of the Coroner's Court, Rosie's mother Georgina said: "She was kind, caring, beautiful and had her whole life ahead of her. She wanted to drive, she wanted to go to university, and she was just perfect."

After the coroner's verdict, the family's lawyers must now consider their next legal steps.

• Watch John Ryall's report below