A GIRL of five died of an asthma attack after being turned away by a GP because she arrived four minutes late for her appointment, the South Wales Argus reports.

Ellie-May Clark and her mum 25-year-old mother Shanice were told to return the next morning by Dr Joanne Rowe, a specialist in safeguarding children.

But Ellie-May died five hours after Dr Rowe shouted at a receptionist: "No I'm not seeing her, she's late".

The little girl's family is calling for a criminal inquiry into the doctor and say she should be struck off the GP register.

But Dr Rowe, 53, was let off with a warning by the General Medical Council and has moved to a practice where patients are unaware of the fatal mistake.

Dr Rowe, who qualified in 1986, was a senior partner at The Grange Clinic for 22 years where she was in charge of child safeguarding at the practice.

The GMC investigation found she "failed to consider the medical history of the child" and gave her a warning which will stay on her record for five years.

An inquiry by the Aneurin Bevan Health Board, which controls the Newport surgery also found Dr Rowe had "failed to make any clinical assessment."

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The Health Board's report said Shanice and Ellie-May arrived eight minutes late, contrary to the family's claim it was four minutes.