By Bruce Robbins and Jamie Black

NHS TAYSIDE chairman Peter Bates last night said he had “complete and total confidence” in the out-of-hours service, despite a Forfar mother yesterday joining a GP in voicing fears about emergency medical cover.

Cherie Butler said her 15-month-old son’s condition was misdiagnosed three times by nurses before a doctor recognised it was scarlet fever.

Her experience supported a Dundee GP who claimed in a leaked Email lives were being put at risk by lack of adequate out-of-hours medical cover.

But Mr Bates and primary care director Dr Andrew Russell stressed patient safety was top priority.

The health board chairman said, “I want to very firmly reassure patients, the public and families in Tayside that we take very seriously our responsibilities to provide safe clinical services and that these services are subject to proper monitoring and auditing and checking.”

Cherie claimed her son Struan’s health was put in danger because of cutbacks in emergency care services.

On the local holiday weekend at the end of last month, Cherie took Struan to Whitehills Hospital in Forfar after he broke out in a rash. Nurses told her her son was suffering from an allergy and needed no further treatment.

She consulted NHS 24 which told her the same thing, and she dismissed the service as “a waste of time.”

When the symptoms worsened and Struan developed a temperature, Cherie was referred to Wallacetown Health Centre in Dundee.

She said, “I expected to see a doctor but again it was only nurses and they told me that the problem was a virus.

“Struan was given some painkillers and medicine for the temperature.

“All through Sunday he didn’t get any better and on the Monday I demanded that a doctor see him.

“At Whitehills there happened to be one and they eventually recognised that it was scarlet fever and gave him three days worth of antibiotics.

“On the Wednesday after that I had to take him to Ninewells in Dundee and they told me that he should have been given seven days of antibiotics.”

At the beginning of this month, NHS Tayside’s out-of-hours service reduced the number of doctors on duty overnight and at weekends.

After GPs opted out of round-the-clock responsibilities, NHS Tayside introduced a system giving more of a role to nurses.

Despite claims by the authority the system posed no threat, Cherie alleges her child’s health was endangered.

“This shouldn’t happen,” she said. “What happened to the doctors being on call? It is absolutely ridiculous that you can’t get a doctor on a holiday.

“It’s not the nurses fault, but they are not trained to deal with these kind of problems.

“It is different with adults but it is not right for a child of 15 months old.

“They should be spending money on making sure that there are more doctors available.”

Mr Bates said the circumstances surrounding Cherie’s son’s illness would be subject of an investigation by Dr Russell or Dr Joyce Meikle.

Mr Bates also responded to the leaked Email from a Dundee GP, alleging nurses were being left alone at times in the emergency centre.

Mr Bates said, “Both I and the board have complete and total confidence in the way Dr Andrew Russell and Dr Joyce Meikle, who are both GPs, have managed the out-of-hours service on behalf of the board.”

He added, “It’s quite true to say that many of the out-of-hours services are now nurse-led, but that doesn’t mean to say they are of a lower standard.”

Saying he was concerned the Email emerged as it had when any doctor in Tayside has automatic access to him, he added, “It was not the decision of NHS Tayside to change the out-of-hours service.

“NHS Tayside, like every other board in Scotland, was left with the responsibility of having to provide this service. I believe that service is a very good service.”

Dr Russell said, “I have every confidence in the models of care and in the staff both clinical and non-clinical who provide this service.”

“It’s also worth noting the quality of out-of-hours service we provide in Tayside was reflected recently in the very positive external audit report.”