Summary
Ms C, an advocacy worker, complained on behalf of her client (Ms A) about the care and treatment provided to Ms A's late mother (Mrs B) by the practice following a home visit by a doctor from the out-of-hours (OOH) service. Mrs B was later admitted to hospital where she died.
We took independent advice from a GP. We found that there was no indication, based on the report from the OOH doctor, for the practice to arrange an emergency home visit to Mrs B or that the OOH doctor had requested the practice carry out a home visit. There was also no evidence to suggest that Mrs B was deteriorating in the days following the visit of the OOH doctor.
We found that the subsequent sudden deterioration in Mrs B's condition could not have been foreseen and the care provided by the practice following the visit from the OOH doctor, and the plan to visit Mrs B as a routine house visit, was reasonable and consistent with good medical practice.
Therefore, we did not uphold the complaint.
Related reading
View Decision Report 201804029 as a PDF (24.23 KB) Updated: June 17, 2020