Ms L complained that her mother, Mrs K, was not diagnosed sooner with ovarian cancer by her GP and doctors, and that subsequent hospital care, including pain relief, was poor. Ms L also complained that doctors overestimated how much time her mother had left to live and consequently did not urge Ms L to return home from her holiday sooner. Ms L said the Trust took too long to answer her complaint.
Mrs K had abdominal pain with alternating bouts of diarrhoea and constipation. She had several tests and examinations over a period of two years. She eventually became so unwell that she was admitted to hospital and she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Ms L was abroad on holiday at this time, but doctors told her there was no need to change her flights and come home sooner. However, Mrs K died sooner than doctors expected and Ms L did not arrive in time to say goodbye to her mother.
What we found
We partly upheld Ms L's complaint.
We found no fault with the GP's actions. As for the Trust, it could not have diagnosed Mrs K's cancer sooner, nor predicted she would have died as soon as she did. We did find failings in the way the Trust recorded the effectiveness of the pain relief Mrs K received.
Some aspects of the Trust's complaint handling were not up to standard. It did not investigate Ms L's complaint thoroughly and it did not always keep her informed if it was going to miss a deadline.
Putting it right
The Trust apologised for the failings we identified and took steps to put things right for the future. We acknowledged that, since the time of the events complained about, the Trust had significantly improved its complaint handling.
Organisation
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
A GP practice
Case reference
196395
Concerns about complaint handling
Delayed replying to complaint
Result
Apology
Recommendation to learn lessons or draw up an action plan
Location
West Yorkshire
Region
Yorkshire and the Humber
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
A GP practice
West Yorkshire
Delayed replying to complaint
Apology
Recommendation to learn lessons or draw up an action plan