Home > Publications > Selected Cases > Selected Investigations Completed December 2002March 2003 > Case no. E.1873/01-02
Complaint against a GP in the South Sefton Primary Care Trust area
Summary of Case
The Ombudsman partially upheld a complaint by Mr P that Dr Y, working for an out-of-hours GP co-operative, failed to assess adequately the condition of his wife, Mrs P, using telephone triage. Mr P telephoned the out-of-hours GP co-operative to request a home visit for Mrs P. He informed Dr Y that Mrs P was ‘breathing very badly’, and that she had a temperature and a cough. Dr Y enquired as to whether Mrs P had any chest pain and diagnosed viral illness. He advised paracetamol, bed rest and plenty of fluids and informed Mr P that Mrs P could contact her own GP the following day, if her symptoms did not improve. Mrs P’s condition continued to deteriorate and Mr P telephoned NHS Direct later that evening. On hearing Mrs P’s worsened symptoms, NHS Direct immediately dispatched an ambulance to take Mrs P to hospital where she died shortly after admission from septicaemia due to pneumonia. The Ombudsman’s professional assessors advised that it was not unreasonable for Dr Y to have diagnosed viral illness, but criticised Dr Y for failing to explore adequately the extent of Mrs P’s breathing difficulties. Dr Y apologised to Mr P and agreed to review his practice to ensure he gains a full clinical picture before forming a diagnosis.
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