A mother-of-three was misdiagnosed in an over-the-phone GP appointment, four months before dying of cancer.
Her grieving husband, who witnessed his wife die in his arms, is now calling for phone call appointments with a GP to be scrapped.
Laura Barlow, 33, was newly wed to her husband Michael when she began to fell unwell, experiencing abdominal pain and blood in her poo.
The couple have three children together Bella-Mia, Summer-Akye and Bonnie-Rae.
In October 2023, she was diagnosed with endometriosis on a telephone call with a GP at Stickney Surgery in Lincolnshire.
The GP prescribed her painkillers and booked her in for a gynaecology appointment at Pilgrim Hospital.
While at work two months later, she began to feel severe pain in her abdomen. Michael tried to take her to the GP but was advised to instead visit the Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) at the hospital where she was given morphine to help cope with the pain.
After more than two hours stuck in a waiting room, Michael claims they were dismissed by doctors because Laura was already being treated for endometriosis
Michael said: ‘We went to Urgent Care and she was assessed and they gave her morphine for the pain.
Mike and Laura Barlow on their wedding day with their three children
Laura Barlow died just months after she first had her GP appointment over the phone
‘After two hours of waiting we saw a doctor who told us that because she was already seeing a doctor for endometriosis, there was no point him dealing with it as well.’
A week later on New Year’s Eve, Mrs Barlow was taken to hospital with pain in her abdomen and was told to come back on January 2 for an ultrasound scan.
The scan revealed lesions on her liver and she was put on a two-week cancer pathway.
A few weeks later in mid-January she was admitted to Pilgrim Hospital’s A&E department where she was finally diagnosed with cancer.
Micheal said: ‘It was a shock when we heard she had cancer, we thought if it was the liver, they could cut a bit out and you can live without it. We thought she would be ok.’
On February 2, Michael and Laura were supposed to be on holiday at CenterParcs with their children. While their children went ahead with Laura’s sister, the couple heard the devastating news about Laura’s cancer.
They were told that Laura had 95 per cent cancer in her liver and her bowel and that she was now terminal
‘They told her to go home and spend time with our kids.’
Michael is now calling for face-to-face GP appointments to be mandatory and has received more than 130,000 signatures on an online petition
Michael is being supported by his family as he raises his three children as a single parent
Michael and Laura joined up with their children at CenterParcs where they enjoyed a last family holiday together.
Laura was wheelchair bound and taking morphine for her pain during the short trip.
A few days after the holiday, Laura’s condition continued to deteriorate.
On February 6, she sadly passed away.
Michael said: ‘I had phoned her dad to meet me at the house to help. The doctors had given her some stuff to make her relaxed.
‘We fell asleep together, she was in my arms. I woke up to the others telling me “Mike, she’s gone.”‘
Michael believes that if blood tests should have been taken earlier.
‘It makes me angry because it is all about what if,’ he said, ‘could they have caught it earlier, could we have had longer.
Michael believes that if blood tests had been taken earlier, Laura may have had a better chance of surviving
Michael and Laura were newly married when she started experiencing pain in her abdomen
‘I’m not saying she wouldn’t have died, but could we have got another six months together?’
Nearly a year on, Michael is being supported by his family as he raises his three children as a single parent.
He said: ‘I have a three kids aged two, three and ten. I have a fantastic family who support me every day as much as they can.
‘It is hard though. I have my three year old asking if mummy is coming home. I have to tell her she is with nanny now and they are both watching over us.’
Following Laura’s death, Michael started a petition calling on the government to make face-to-face consultations mandatory for all GP appointments.
The petition has already received more that 130,000 signatures.
He said: ‘A lot of people have told me it has pushed them to see a doctor instead of talking on the phone.
‘If a person says they would like to see a doctor, they should have that right. If someone had seen her things may have been different. My wife never got that right.’
A spokesperson for United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Pilgrim Hospital, and Stickney Surgery, said: ”The NHS in Lincolnshire would like to again extend our deepest condolences to Laura’s family.
‘Patient confidentiality means we are unable to comment on individual cases, but we will continue to speak to Laura’s family about their concerns as appropriate.’