Mr B visited his GP because of his headaches. His GP said that he would refer Mr B to a neurologist for further investigation of his symptoms but there was a long delay in making the referral.
What happened
Mr B had to chase the GP Practice about the referral, and was given conflicting information about what had happened to it. This was very frustrating, worrying and time-consuming for him. He was also unhappy that the Practice did not respond to his written complaints to them.
What we found
The Practice gave us copies of letters that it had sent Mr B in response to his complaint. While we understood that Mr B had not received them, we could not find out why this was, and it may have been due to events beyond the Practice's control. So we did not uphold this aspect of the complaint.
We upheld Mr B's complaint about the delayed referral. In response to this, the Practice acknowledged there was a delay and apologised for it. However, we found that it did not explain the delay in the referral and it did not say what it would do to prevent it happening again.
Putting it right
The Practice acknowledged and apologised for its failures and the impact these had on Mr B, and detailed what action it has taken to make sure that its referrals will be made correctly and promptly.
A GP practice
Greater London
Not applicable
Apology
Recommendation to learn lessons or draw up an action plan