Overview
The complainant (Mr C) raised a number of concerns that his mother (Mrs A) had received inadequate care and treatment in October 2011 resulting in a failure to diagnosis kidney failure or admit Mrs A to hospital. Mrs A subsequently died on 2 November 2011.
Specific complaint and conclusion
The complaint which has been investigated is that between September 2011 and October 2011, doctors at Mrs A’s medical practice (the Practice) failed to take into account Mrs A's symptoms, previous medical history and family concerns and that they did not arrange an emergency hospital admission (upheld).
Redress and recommendations
The Ombudsman recommends that the Practice:
- review the GMC Guidance on record-keeping and evaluate a sample of their case notes to see if they are fulfilling the required standards;
- review with the doctors involved in Mrs A's care the SIGN guidance on chronic kidney disease and its management and identify this as a learning need within their appraisals;
- discuss this complaint and its evaluation with the doctors involved in Mrs A's care in their yearly appraisal;
- carry out a significant event analysis of this incident and discuss the results within the practice team; and
- apologise sincerely to Mr C and his family for the failures in the care and treatment provided to Mrs A.
The Practice have accepted the recommendations and will act on them accordingly.