‘I had phone chat... then nearly died’

AFTER almost dying twice, Colin Rawlings calls the lack of faceto-face appointments ‘totally unacceptable’ – and warns: ‘People are going to die.’

The widower, 81, first had trouble in 2019 when a consultant treating him for a lung condition urged his GP to see him about a possible heart condition – without success. Weeks later he needed emergency heart surgery.

In March 2020 the retired businessman, pictured, of Saltdean, East Sussex, developed difficulty urinating and called several times for an appointment, but only got a phone consultation, which didn’t help as he is hard of hearing. He later collapsed with sepsis and nearly died. He needed two days in intensive care and a week on a general ward.