A dad had four toes amputated after a serious infection was dismissed by his GP as athlete’s foot.
Michael Jones said he wasn’t referred to specialists despite visiting his doctor four times in just three weeks, complaining of a black rash, pins and needles and pain in his feet.
But when his little toe turned completely black, Michael said he was finally taken seriously – but it was too late to save his toes.
He underwent an emergency operation to remove three toes on his right foot and unblock veins in his leg, and later had to have another toe removed on his other foot after it became necrotic.
Michael, from Caerphilly, has since won an out-of-court settlement for £285,000 against his GP practice following a five-year legal battle.
Specialist construction worker Michael’s ordeal began when he visited his GP following a fall from a step ladder in May 2018 when he broke his ribs and punctured his lung.
Michael complained of pain in his foot and the appearance of black ink-type spots on the end of his toes.
He visited his local Nantgarw Medical Centre – which his family had been using for more than 60 years – and described his symptoms.
After a quick chat with his GP, he said he was told it was probably due to the fall. He was prescribed co-codamol and sent home.
Over the next few days, the black dots became more prominent and he developed a foot rash as well as pins and needles. He returned to his GP, but was sent away again with Ibuprofen.
‘My doctor didn’t bother to examine my feet. Instead, they just spent the whole time on the computer and sent me home with some Ibuprofen,’ he said.
‘I thought it was a bit strange they didn’t take my blood or refer me for more tests, but I thought they were the expert, not me.’
He then was diagnosed with athlete’s foot, at which point he said he ‘nearly burst out laughing’.
‘It was ridiculous. I was glad another doctor came in and saw I had a rash and ordered urgent blood tests. Finally, I thought I was getting somewhere,’ he said.
As he waited for his results, his toe turned totally black. Soon after the black on his little toe started to spread to his other toes and to the heel of his foot.
Medics discovered he had above-the-knee thromboses – a potentially life-threatening condition which requires immediate surgery as it prevents blood from getting to the feet.
He underwent a successful operation, but soon after discharge Michael said a member of his GP surgery visited his house in person to hand deliver a sick note, claiming he would be back at work in six weeks.
Michael said:’I was sat bed bound in my front room with a vacuum machine on my leg to stop the infection and missing my toes, and here he was telling me it was no big deal and that I would be back at work soon. He also said they had done nothing wrong.’
In a final insult, after returning to the hospital to get another toe removed on his other foot, when he tried to extend his sick note the surgery ordered him to attend in person.
‘It was the final straw,’ he said. ‘I trusted my doctor and thought I was in safe hands and they let me down in the worst way possible.
‘This whole ordeal has shrunk my world because of all the things I can’t do anymore. If they had done their job properly and done even a few basics like a blood test I wouldn’t have had my life ruined.’
Michael launched legal action against his former GP and surgery, eventually winning £285,000 to cover his current and future care.
Solicitor Max Cosstick said: ‘Michael trusted the advice he was given by his GP and is now paying the price. He was compensated because of their failure to refer him to surgery in time, something which eventually cost him his toes. There were multiple opportunities to help him but they failed him.’
Michael spent nearly two years recovering to walk again with the help of his three sons Jack, 27, Michael, 33, Ellis, 32, and partner Julie, 65.
But he continues to struggle in everyday life and misses simple things like being able to walk to the shop and get himself a paper.
‘I get frustrated a lot of the time about the things that I can no longer do. I used to be fit and always on the go. I was never one for sitting down and watching the telly and now I have been forced into it. I haven’t had a full night’s sleep since this all started and am up three times a night with shooting pains,’ he added.
A spokesman for the NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership said: ‘NWSSP is very sorry to hear of the impact that the issues in this case have caused the patient. The Welsh Risk Pool works with partners & stakeholders to ensure lessons are learned from all claims.’
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