Summary
Ms C complained about care and treatment her mother (Mrs A) received from her medical practice. Ms C was concerned that the practice missed opportunities to enable an earlier diagnosis of lung cancer. She felt that an earlier diagnosis could have helped prevent Mrs A's death. Ms C also raised concern about the way in which a GP handled a conversation about possible future resuscitation.
We took independent medical advice from a GP. We found that the practice had provided a reasonable standard of care in response to the various symptoms Mrs A had presented with in the year leading up to her cancer diagnosis. We did not identify any clear evidence to show that the conversation about resuscitation was handled inappropriately, and considered that it was reasonable to have this conversation with Ms C and Mrs A. The practice reflected on Ms C's concerns in any case and took steps to improve the way in which their staff deal with such conversations with patients and their families. We did not uphold Ms C's complaints.
Related reading
View Decision Report 201603001 as a PDF (11.09 KB) Updated: March 13, 2018