Mrs F, a 30-year-old housewife, visited her GP, Dr O, with a four-week history of diarrhoea. Dr O arranged a stool sample for microscopy and culture (which was negative) and prescribed codeine. Four months later, Mrs F was still having diarrhoea, especially after meals, and she had started to notice some weight loss. She returned to the surgery and this time saw Dr P, who examined her and found nothing remarkable, but decided to refer her to gastroenterology in view of her persistent symptoms.

Mr H was a senior consultant general and breast surgeon who worked in a district general hospital. He was recognised by his colleagues as an expert in breast surgery and an informal arrangement was put in place to transfer all patients with breast problems to Mr H. This arrangement was endorsed by the hospital clinical director but was not formally agreed...

A patient presents with symptoms of haemorrhoids but is it something more sinister?

A patient alleges her GP was negligent for failing to prescribe antibiotics

Child H, a three-year-old boy, was brought into the Emergency Department (ED) of a private hospital by his mother, having inhaled or swallowed a little building brick. They brought a similar piece with them. Child H was seen by a doctor, Dr W, who documented that he appeared well, with no signs of respiratory distress and a normal auscultation. Dr W arranged for him to have a chest x-ray, which both Dr W and a radiologist considered normal.

Ms C, a 43-year-old smoker who was otherwise well, presented to her GP, Dr Q, complaining of a few days’ discoloration to the tip of her right index finger. She explained that her fingers had always felt cold and often turned white and went numb when she was outside.

Mr A was a 25-year-old man who was on lifelong steroid medication for congenital adrenal hyperplasia. He was under the care of Dr F, a consultant endocrinologist.

JS, a four-month-old baby, was felt by his mother to be developing a cold and was given oral paracetamol solution, which was effective. The following day his mother noted he was warm and snuffly.

Mr B was a 31-year-old man with three children. His mother was staying with him over the weekend because he was in bed coughing and shivering.

Baby LM was taken to see his GP, Dr E, for his six-week check. During this examination Dr E noted that his left testis was in the scrotum but his right testis was palpable in the canal. He asked LM’s mother to bring him back for review in a month.

Following a hospital admission for status epilepticus, which was attributed to a previous cerebral insult, Mr G, a 35-year-old clerical officer, was started on an anticonvulsant regime of phenytoin and sodium valproate.

Mrs B was a 57-year-old lady with a past history of breast cancer treated with mastectomy and adjuvant therapy. She re-presented to her consultant breast surgeon, Mr F, three years after the original surgery with a worrying 2cm lump in the vicinity of her mastectomy scar.

A patient suffers complications following spinal surgery

An unusual presentation masks a significant underlying diagnosis

Surgery for an arachnoid cyst is complicated by an intracranial bleed.

A psychiatric patient is placed under close observation

A patient is unhappy with the outcome of cosmetic surgery

A patient presents several times with a worrying vaginal discharge

A child is unable to weight bear after a fall

A delay in sharing an urgent result with a patient results in a loss of vision

Minor surgery to remove a skin tag is complicated by an unexpected event