Mother of a 12-year-old boy was asked to wait for 13 hours to see a doctor following complaints of the boy having a serious heart disorder for which a coroner has criticized an NHS out-of-hours service nurse and this led to the boy’s death.

Endocarditis was what Sam Cutler was suffering from and in this condition, a bacterial inflammation of the heart lining happens and he was also suffering from dehydration and delirium.

Out-of-hours nurse Gary Richards was the one Sam’s mother Linda spoke to and she was told to wait until next morning and then take her son to the surgery. Linda had informed Richards about Sam’s symptoms in detail and also told him that following Sam’s condition, he has to be taken to a doctor within two to six hours.

Southampton Coroner Keith Wiseman said, “Richards should have taken a safety first approach to Sam's symptoms.”

GP Abdul Shahid who saw Sam the next morning had immediately arranged for him to go to a hospital. Shahid was not convinced with the nurse’s advice of waiting for over 13 hours for taking Sam to a surgery as his condition called for immediate attention, it was heard during a five-day inquest in Southampton.

On May 9 the boy was diagnosed with endocarditis in hospital and his death happened on May 17 that happened due to a sudden clot.