A Staffordshire mother-of-two died after an out-of-hours GP failed to diagnose a fatal infection and sent her home in chronic pain.

Locum Dr Karuna Desai told Josephine Brindley, 36, from Cannock, that she was having a ­reaction to painkillers, when she was actually dying from septicaemia, it has been reported.

Mrs Brindley was showing classic symptoms of the infection following an accident at work when she was seen by Dr Desai, but he simply prescribed her more painkillers and sent her home to rest.

By 9pm the following night she was dead.

South Staffordshire Primary Care Trust has refused to accept liability but have paid an out-of-court settlement of more than £200,000 to Mrs Brindley’s widower Paul.

A trust fund has now been set up for their children 10-year-old Jack and Holly, aged 7.

Mr Brindley, aged 39, said: “If we had seen our family GP, who we know well, I am fairly sure Jo would still be alive.

“I have repeatedly asked myself if I could have done more but with medical matters you have to put your faith in the professionals.”

Mrs Brindley, an architect’s personal assistant, injured her shoulder at work in 2005 as she tried to catch a box file which fell as she pulled it from a cabinet.

She saw Dr Desai at Cannock Chase Hospital’s out-of-hours surgery, describing “agonising” pain in the joint.

Timothy Deeming, a medical negligence expert with Birmingham-based Irwin Mitchell Solicitors, said her life would have been saved if she had been treated properly.

“An adequate examination should have led to urgent admission to hospital, a prompt diagnosis of infection and appropriate antibiotic treatment,” he said.

“This would, it is agreed, have led to Mrs Brindley’s life being saved. We want to ensure the PCT puts systems in place to ensure cases like this cannot happen again.”

A spokeswoman for South Staffordshire PCT said they were: “pleased that the parties have been able to work together to reach a settlement”.