Summary
Ms C complained on behalf of her late brother (Mr A) about the treatment he received from the practice in the four months prior to his diagnosis of lung cancer. She complained that the standard of care and treatment provided to her brother was unreasonable.
We took independent advice from a GP adviser who said that the initial symptoms Mr A presented with had led doctors to believe that he had a problem with his hormones, and that doctors had referred him appropriately at that time. When Mr A complained of different symptoms, which could have indicated cancer, his GP then asked him to complete a form to arrange an x-ray. The practice were unable to reach Mr A by phone and Mr A either did not receive the letter sent to him, or did not respond to it. When Mr A re-attended the practice it was noted that the x-ray request had not been returned and he was referred urgently to hospital that day. The adviser said that this was reasonable.
We accepted the advice we received and we did not uphold the complaint.
Related reading
View Decision Report 201700923 as a PDF (11.11 KB) Updated: March 13, 2018