Summary
Ms C complained about the care and treatment provided to her late partner (Mr A) by an out-of-hours GP and at Belford Hospital. She complained that the GP did not reasonably assess Mr A and that, when he was later admitted to hospital, there was a delay in diagnosis which resulted in no treatment options being available for his perforated duodenal ulcer (when the lining of the stomach splits due to a sore).
We took independent advice from a GP and a consultant physician. We found that the care and treatment provided to Mr A by the GP was of a reasonable standard and that his symptoms were most fitting with a diagnosis of viral illness at this time. We also found that, whilst there was some delay in diagnosing Mr A when he was admitted to hospital (which the board had acknowledged), this did not have any impact on Mr A's outcome as, due to his other illnesses, surgery would not have been an option for him. We did not uphold this complaint.
Related reading
View Decision Report 201704498 as a PDF (11.04 KB) Updated: December 2, 2018