Summary
Mr C complained about the care that his late mother (Mrs A) received from doctors and nurses at her medical practice. Mrs A's overall health had been deteriorating for some time. She was admitted to hospital with advanced lung disease and died shortly after admission. Mr C was concerned about the condition of his mother's legs and felt in particular that the doctors and nurses had failed to treat ulcers.
Our investigation found that the care provided to Mrs A was good, and that there was clear evidence that an ulcer was identified and treated appropriately until it healed. We noted that Mrs A's legs had changed colour towards the end of her life due to poor circulation, but we received independent medical advice that this did not reflect unreasonable care. Although we did not uphold the complaint, we did make a recommendation in relation to the practice's complaints handling.
Recommendations
We recommended that the practice: provide evidence to the Ombudsman that staff receive advice and/or training in relation to responding to complaints from recently bereaved individuals.
Related reading
View Decision Report 201201971 as a PDF (12.2 KB) Updated: March 13, 2018