GP failed to thoroughly assess patient with ulcer

What happened

Mr A had suffered from stomach pain for several days. He had a blood test at his GP Practice, which was positive for bacteria (Helicobacter pylori) that are the cause of most stomach and bowel ulcers.

During Mr A's appointment with the GP, Mr A said that his pain was severe. The GP did not examine him, take his vital signs, test his urine, or consider a stomach ulcer as possible cause for his pain. The GP diagnosed irritable bowel syndrome. The GP also advised Mr A to wait to see a gastroenterologist that the Practice planned to refer him to. However, after the appointment, Mr A went straight to hospital, where he was diagnosed with an ulcer.

Mr A and his father felt that the GP had put Mr A's life at risk, and were angry about this. Mr A and his father complained that the GP's response to their complaint was inaccurate.

What we found

The GP did not adequately assess Mr A's condition. Had he done so, it is likely that he would have referred Mr A to hospital for urgent treatment. If Mr A had followed the

GP's advice and waited for the referral to the gastroenterologist, his life could have been at risk. That said, Mr A's life was not, in the event, put at risk by the care he received from the doctor because he went straight to A&E after the appointment.

In response to the complaint, the GP said that he noted the test result for Helicobacter pylori but that it was 'essentially normal', which is incorrect and of concern.

We found no maladministration in the Practice's complaint handling.

Putting it right

We recommended that the GP Practice apologise to Mr A and his father. We also recommended that the GP should put in place a plan to address the failings in his assessment of Mr A.