SPSO (Scottish Public Services Ombudsman) decision

A Medical Practice in the Fife NHS Board area

Decided 1 December 2021 Reference 202103401 Outcome: Not Upheld Sector: Health Category: Clinical treatment / diagnosis

Themes assigned by this site (AI-generated): Clinical negligence harms learning

Full decision

Decision (the SPSO's words)

Summary

C complained to the practice about the lack of care provided to their late parent (A). C said that A had reported breathing and sleeping problems in a telephone consultation to the GP but the GP had only provided medication and A died from a suspected heart attack a week later. The practice believed that appropriate treatment had been provided.

We took independent advice from a GP. We found that there was no evidence that A had reported breathing problems to the GP and that there were no recorded symptoms which would have indicated that A required a face-to-face GP consultation, a hospital admission, or that A would suffer a sudden event a week after the telephone consultation. Therefore, we did not uphold the complaint.

Related reading

View Decision Report 202103401 as a PDF (24.06 KB) Updated: December 22, 2021

From: SPSO (Scottish Public Services Ombudsman), decision 202103401, 1 December 2021