Tragic : Five-month-old Leo Radcliffe died on June 4 2010 , hours after his mother phoned for help . A baby died from meningitis after the on-call doctor asked to examine him failed to turn up and instead left his worried parents a phone message to say he was ‘ very busy ’ , an inquest heard . Leo Radcliffe ’ s mother had rung NHS Direct after the five-month-old boy was taken ill overnight with a high temperature and heavy breathing . A call handler from the privately run Go-To-Doc scheme passed the call to duty GP Dr Jason Tahghighi with a message saying he needed to visit the family because they had no transport to get to hospital or money for a taxi . Instead of instructing his driver to take him to their address , however , he left two voicemail messages on Leo ’ s mother ’ s mobile phone asking her to contact him . When she failed to answer , he assumed the family were asleep and that Leo was OK , made a ‘ likely diagnosis ’ of a viral illness and concluded that a visit was ‘ not necessary ’ , the hearing was told . But four hours later , Leo developed a tell-tale rash on his forehead , and although his parents called an ambulance he died later in hospital . After being challenged over what happened , Dr Tahghighi initially lied about having attended the house and claimed the lights were switched off when he arrived . He even described the street and area , claiming it was ‘ dark ’ and ‘ scruffy ’ before coming clean . His mother , Katie Corry , now 23 , told the hearing in Manchester that in the hours before he died in June 2010 , Leo had become unsettled and started making a ‘ whimpering noise ’ while out in his pram . Back at their home in Chadderton , Oldham , he refused food , and she and Leo ’ s father Kaine Radcliffe , 25 , a labourer , noticed a rise in his temperature . She gave him baby paracetamol , but he continued to struggle and was breathing heavily , although there was no sign of a rash . Shortly before midnight she rang the NHS Direct helpline , which has since been replaced by the non-emergency 111 service , and then told a health adviser from Go-To-Doc about Leo ’ s condition . Miss Corry said Leo felt ‘ really , really hot , like boiling hot ’ . His case was referred to the on-call doctor with the message in capital letters : ‘ NO MONEY NO TRANSPORT , VISIT. ’ Scroll down for video . 'Lies ' : Dr Jason Tahghighi , right outside court yesterday , said that he had been to the family home and that he had n't knocked because the lights were off , it was heard . Left , Leo 's parents Katie Corry and Kaine Radcliffe . Leo ’ s exhausted parents then fell asleep , and when Miss Corry woke up four hours later she realised she had two voicemails . ‘ Leo was beside me and I saw a purple rash on his forehead , ’ she said . ‘ I got a glass and put it on the rash because I knew it was meningitis. ’ Symptoms : Leo Radcliffe , pictured , had been suffering a high temperature and heavy breathing . Her partner called an ambulance but Leo died later that day at Royal Manchester Children ’ s Hospital . His family has since received an apology from Go-To-Doc . Dr Tahghighi , 47 , from Wilmslow , Cheshire , was later suspended for 12 months for misconduct by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service . His first voicemail message said : ‘ We are very busy with visits . Maybe he can wait until the morning. ’ The second said : ‘ As you haven ’ t called back I ’ m assuming that your son Leo is doing OK and settled down . I would suggest a follow-up with your GP some time during open hours . However , I would like you to phone us back with any concerns. ’ Dr Tahghighi said that at the time he had been working an ‘ excessive number of shifts ’ , including six that required him to cover if a doctor rang in sick as well as seven days at his surgery in Bramhall and five overnight shifts lasting from 11pm to 7am . When asked if he had been ‘ too busy ’ to see Leo , he said : ‘ I don ’ t know the reason I didn ’ t visit . I had the four visits come in at once . ‘ I felt with no call back , I just assumed that everything was fine and settled . I should have attended but I was under a considerable amount of stress at the time . I admit working an excessive number of hours. ’ The inquest continues . Meningitis vaccines offer excellent protection , but they are not yet available for all forms . So it 's vital to know meningitis symptoms and what to do if you suspect someone has meningitis or septicemia . Symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia : . Other signs in babies : . Septicaemia can occur with or without meningitis . Not everyone gets all the symptoms and they can appear in any order . Source : Meningitis Research Foundation .
Five-month-old Leo Radcliffe was suffering high fever and heavy breathing . His mother phoned the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service and was referred to local Go To Doc service . Call handler referred treatment to out-of-hours GP Dr Jason Tahghighi . Dr Tahghighi left voicemails with Leo 's family saying he was 'very busy ' Later lied to bosses about visit to family 's Manchester home , inquest heard . Claimed he had not knocked because house lights were off , it was said . Leo died in hospital on June 4 2010 , hours after his mother 's call for help .