A mother today blasted a doctor for failing to diagnose her baby's life-threatening symptoms.

Emma Nicoll said a GP at the Shrub End Surgery, Colchester, decided her daughter's breathing problems were caused by a chest infection.

But 17-month-old Courtney had been suffering a severe asthma attack. She was later transferred to the intensive care unit of London's St Mary's Hospital on a ventilator.

Miss Nicoll, 18, of Hawthorn Avenue, Greenstead, was told by staff there her baby could have died.

She claims the initial check-up by Dr R P Wright at the Shrub End Road surgery was not thorough enough.

Dr Wright declined to comment but a spokesman for the Colchester Primary Care Trust (CPCT) said on his behalf: "The standard NHS complaints procedure for Miss Nicoll is, if she wishes to make a complaint, she should contact the practice concerned or the CPCT and there will be a full investigation in line with the standards complaints procedure."

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Published Monday, January 31, 2005

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