Health

Overview

The complaint concerned the actions of two district nurses at a home visit.  The complaint was that the nurses failed to adequately assess the patient or arrange for a hospital admission.

Specific complaint and conclusion

The complaint which has been investigated is that there was failure to adequately assess Mrs C’s medical condition or admit her to hospital (upheld).

Redress and recommendation

The Ombudsman recommends that the Division ensures that the two district nurses receive training in the appropriate actions to be taken in such cases and in the importance of record keeping as identified by the Adviser.  Such record keeping is not only important in itself but is crucial to the delivery of appropriate care.  They should be given the opportunity to reflect on the lessons to be learned from this case with a clinical supervisor and specifically to consider when to seek medical advice in the future.

The Division have accepted the recommendation in full.

Overview

The complaint concerned the actions of a GP at a home visit.  The complaint was that the GP failed to carry out an adequate examination of the patient or arrange for her to be admitted to hospital.

Specific complaint and conclusion

The complaint which has been investigated is about the failure of GP 1 to carry out an appropriate examination or admit Mrs C to hospital (no finding).

Redress and recommendation

The Ombudsman has no recommendation to make.

Overview

The complainant (Ms C) raised a number of concerns regarding the treatment and care her late father (Mr A) received at the Victoria Infirmary, Glasgow.

Specific complaints and conclusions

The complaints which have been investigated are that:

• (a) inadequate supervision led to Mr A suffering a fall (not upheld);
• (b) inappropriate action was taken following an infection outbreak (not upheld); and
• (c) there was inadequate analgesia (not upheld).

Redress and recommendation

The Ombudsman has no recommendations to make.

The complainant (Mr C) complained that his GP failed to diagnose and treat him appropriately.

Overview

The complainant raised a number of issues regarding his treatment during and following a hospital admission.

Specific complaints and conclusions

The complaints which have been investigated are that:

• (a)  staff administered injections without the complainant's permission (not upheld); and
• (b)  staff failed to provide Mr C with home oxygen (not upheld).

Redress and recommendations

The Ombudsman has no recommendations to make.

Overview

The complainant's father suffered profuse haemorrhaging after an endoscopy.  His son raised concerns about whether the procedure was conducted with a reasonable degree of care.

Specific complaint and conclusion

The endoscopy was not carried out with a reasonable degree of care and caused a haemorrhage (not upheld).

Redress and recommendation

The Ombudsman has no recommendation to make.

Overview

The complainant raised concerns about the behaviour and attitude of a consultant.

Specific complaint and conclusion

The complaint which has been investigated is that: the Consultant conducted the clinic appointment in an inappropriate manner (no finding).

Redress and recommendation

The Ombudsman has no recommendations to make.

Overview

There were concerns that the complainant's 88-year-old father was not properly monitored by his GP Practice in the months following his commencement of a diuretic medication, that this caused him to be hospitalised and that the Practice sent him to a community, instead of an acute, hospital.

Specific complaints and conclusions

The complaints which have been investigated relate to:

• (a)  the Practice's monitoring between August 2004 and January 2005 (not upheld); and
• (b)  the timing of the hospital referral and the choice of hospital (not upheld).

Redress and recommendations

The Ombudsman has no recommendations to make.

The complainant raised a number of issues about the care and treatment she received from her GP Practice and her removal from the Practice list.

Overview

The complainant considered that his dentist's poor care and treatment caused some of his teeth to disintegrate and others to need extraction and that the dentist provided a poorly fitting denture.

Specific complaints and conclusions

The complaints which have been investigated are that:

• (a)  the complainant's poor dental state had been caused by the dentist's actions (not upheld); and
• (b)  the dentist provided a denture that fitted poorly (not upheld).

Redress and Recommendation

The Ombudsman has no recommendation to make.