Summary
C complained that the practice failed to provide their late spouse (A) with appropriate care and treatment. C said that GPs at the practice failed to see their partner at face to face consultations where they could observe their reported symptoms of facial weakness. Phone calls were made on a Friday and Monday but A was still not seen despite contacting the Out Of Hours Service (OOHS) at the weekend. A died a few days later of a stroke.
C felt that the practice should have seen A face to face rather than via telephone consultations. The practice believed that the GPs involved had provided A with appropriate care and treatment based on their reported symptoms at the time.
We took independent advice from an appropriately qualified adviser. We found that the practice had provided a reasonable level of care based on A’s reported symptoms. Therefore, we did not uphold the complaint but provided the practice with feedback concerning the standard of record keeping.
Related reading
View Decision Report 202103864 as a PDF (24.19 KB) Updated: November 23, 2022