Summary
C complained about the care and treatment provided to their late parent (A). A had a terminal illness and was discharged from hospital to be cared for at home. A few days later, the family requested a visit from a doctor. They spoke to a doctor on the phone but it was an Advanced Nurse Practitioner that visited them at home. C was also unhappy that A was not provided with emergency medication.
We took independent advice on the complaint from a GP. We found that A should have had a named and experienced clinical lead coordinating and planning their care. We found that it would have been preferable that a GP had visited A following their discharge from hospital. However, it was not unreasonable that A was visited by an ANP. We found that A should have been provided with emergency medicine. We upheld C's complaint.
We noted that the practice had recognised potential failings and had demonstrated that they had taken reasonable learning and improvement action. Therefore, we made no further recommendations.
Related reading
View Decision Report 202309340 as a PDF (24.29 KB) Updated: June 18, 2025