Miss A complained that the care and treatment provided to her in December 2023 was not clinically appropriate in view of her presenting symptoms. Miss A also raised concerns about the way the Practice handled her complaint including the timeliness and content of the response.
The Ombudsman found that, although clinically appropriate care was provided by the Practice, it had not recorded specific, detailed safety advice given. On this basis, it could not be concluded that appropriate information was provided to Miss A. This was an injustice to Miss A as it may have led to a delay in her seeking further treatment for her later symptoms. In addition, due to the significant delay in responding to Miss A’s complaint, and that the response did not provide an explanation or apology for this, the Ombudsman upheld the complaint about how this was managed by the Practice.
The Ombudsman recommended that, within 4 weeks, the Practice provide Miss A with a written meaningful apology for the failings identified regarding the lack of detail recorded about the safety netting advice given as well as for complaint handling. In addition, for the Practice to offer Miss A a redress payment of £250 to reflect the time and trouble with raising her complaint. The Ombudsman also recommended that the Practice shared the case with staff to reflect on the shortcomings identified in relation to the lack of specific and detailed documentation of safety netting advice.