Summary
C complained that when the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) contacted the practice about C's fitness to drive, the practice incorrectly advised the DVLA that they had attended detoxification for alcohol in the past 12 months.
We took independent advice from a GP. We found that the treatment C had received from the practice was not to treat alcohol withdrawal and would not be classed as a detoxification programme. We found that there was no evidence that C had attended a detoxification programme in the past 12 months. Therefore, we upheld the complaint.
Recommendations
What we asked the organisation to do in this case: Apologise to C for the failing identified. The apology should meet the standards set out in the SPSO guidelines on apology available at www.spso.org.uk/information-leaflets.
What we said should change to put things right in future: The practice should ensure their knowledge of detoxification programmes is up to date - who delivers them and what a programme entails. Also the practice should ensure the information held by the DVLA in relation to this issue provides details of the treatment given to C.
We have asked the organisation to provide us with evidence that they have implemented the recommendations we have made on this case by the deadline we set.
Related reading
View Decision Report 201901223 as a PDF (26.06 KB) Updated: September 23, 2020