Clinical treatment outside hospital : A GP Practice in the area of Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

Mrs C complained that the GP Practice failed to provide appropriate care to her daughter, J, when J fell ill in February 2021. J attended 2 appointments with 2 different GPs and sadly, died shortly after the second GP referred her to the Hospital.

The Ombudsman found that the first GP assessed J appropriately but recorded a symptom of diarrhoea, leading him to diagnose viral gastroenteritis. However, it did not appear that J had diarrhoea and therefore, this diagnosis was not supported and it was more likely that she had another, non-specific infection. However, the actions taken by the first GP and the advice he gave were appropriate; the treatment he advised was suitable and there was nothing further that should have been done. Additionally, none of J’s subsequent care was influenced by this error. The Ombudsman also found that the second GP recognised that J was very unwell and correctly referred her to the Hospital.

The Ombudsman concluded that the progression of J’s infection, and her ultimate outcome, could not have been predicted or prevented by either GP. He did not uphold the complaint.