Source · SPSO (Scottish Public Services Ombudsman)

Highland NHS Board

SPSO (Scottish Public Services Ombudsman) Not Upheld Reference 201402434 Sector Health Category clinical treatment / diagnosis Decided 01 March 2015

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Full decision

Summary

Mr C complained to us that the board had refused to investigate his complaint about his late partner (Ms A)'s medical treatment at Dunoon Hospital. The board had refused to respond to the complaint as Mr C was not Ms A's next of kin, and to have access to her medical records they would have to have permission from her next of kin.

We found that the board had given Mr C's request for information about Ms A's clinical treatment careful consideration, and had consulted senior staff before reaching a final decision that they were not in a position to respond to the complaint. The board had also suggested that Mr C should contact Ms A's next of kin to ask for permission to release the information from Ms A's medical records, and that he had chosen not to do so. We were satisfied that the board had considered the matter carefully and we found no reason to question their actions.

Related reading

View Decision Report 201402434 as a PDF (10.97 KB) Updated: March 13, 2018

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