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 Shortly before midnight she rang the NHS Direct helpline, which has since been replaced by the non-emergency 111 service, and then told a health adviser from Go-To-Doc about Leo’s condition.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 hadn'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 NHS Direct 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 .