A COUPLE whose son almost died of meningitis say more should be done to teach GPs and parents to spot symptoms of the virus.

Paul and Suzanne Cutler came within hours of losing their son James when he was just 14 weeks old after a locum they called to their Greenhithe home failed to realise he had meningitis.

They decided to take James to Darent Valley Hospital anyway, where doctors immediately recognised he was critically ill and began the battle to save his life.

After three weeks in hospital, during which the couple say they were “absolutely terrified” for their son’s life, James was allowed home to Hedge Place Road and has since made a full recovery.

News Shopper’s recent article about Harvey Davies, who died last month at just 14 days old after a GP failed to see he had meningitis, has prompted Mr and Mrs Cutler to call for NHS action.

News Shopper: Paul and Suzanne Cutler came within hours of losing their son James when he was just 14 weeks old

Mr Cutler, 48, said: “We would like to see a programme by the NHS that educates GPs and parents on the symptoms to look out for to spot meningitis.

“At the time James was ill, our GP told us that in 30 years as a doctor he had not seen a case of meningitis before.

“We thought that since then GPs had been taught about what to look for to spot meningitis, but reading the article about Harvey made us realise that not all have.”

Mr and Mrs Cutler, who have four children, say that seeing the article about Harvey “haunted” them and “brought back all the memories of what happened to James” in 2001.

Full time mum Mrs Cutler, 41, said: “James was very ill and we were very concerned so we rang the emergency GP at Bean Village Surgery and they sent a locum.”

Accounts manager Mr Cutler added: “He’d had a very bad night and was very ill in the morning. His cry was very high pitched, it was like he had very bad sunburn as he was in pain as you handled him.

“Also, he had tiny marks on each shoulder. Our gut instinct was that he had meningitis.

“We asked the locum three times whether it was meningitis and he said no. He thought the baby had a throat infection.

“But we were very worried, so we really pushed for a second opinion, and the locum organised for us to go to Darent Valley Hospital.

“The doctors at the hospital said they knew straight away that James had meningitis because of the way he was crying.

“Immediately they were pumping him full of antibiotics, and the doctors said the next 24 hours would be critical.

“One of the doctors said that if we had left it any later to take him into hospital he would have died.”

Three traumatic weeks followed, with Mr and Mrs Cutler’s emotions stretched to their limits as they sat by James’ bedside watching him fight for his life.

News Shopper: James almost died when he was just 14 weeks old after a locum failed to spot he had meningitis

Mrs Cutler said: “We were thinking he was not going to have a happy ending. We were worried he was going to die or have brain damage.”

Mr Cutler added: “Sometimes I would come out of the hospital and sit in my car crying. I did not want Suzanne to see me that way. I just could not face the idea of my son dying.”

Then came the news that James was starting to recover, and Mr Cutler says he and his wife “cried with relief”.

They were able to take James home, where a nursing team visited every day for a month to give him antibiotics.

After that he went from strength to strength, and Mrs Cutler says he is now a happy and healthy nine-year-old.

However, both James’ parents are aware of how fortunate they are their son survived.

Mr Cutler said: “What happened to Harvey’s parents could have happened to us, because if we’d left it later to take James to hospital he would have died.

“We feel so sorry for them. It’s a matter of hours between whether a child survives or dies, and we feel angry that doctors are still getting it wrong.”

Dr James Thallon, medical director of NHS West Kent, the primary care trust for the area, said: “There is a particular focus in the NHS on preventing deaths in the young.

“We take steps to investigate the facts around every case.

“GPs often see young children with fevers, but meningitis in this age group is rare.

“The NHS both locally and nationally is committed to ensuring that all GPs remain up-to-date with training and education.

“Clinical decision making in individual cases where children are concerned can be very challenging, and we are not complacent about the difficulties that this complex area of medical practice can present.”