GP practice gave poor standard of blood-thinning treatment

What happened

Mrs R was treated in hospital for a blood clot in her lung. Doctors gave her warfarin, a medicine to thin her blood and prevent another clot from forming. After her discharge, Mrs R's blood was not thin enough which meant there was a risk she might suffer further clots. She continued to receive warfarin from her GP Practice and doctors slowly increased her dose to thin her blood. It took around five weeks for Mrs R's blood to reach the target set by the doctors in hospital.

Mrs R complained to us about the Practice. She said that the GP she saw did not properly arrange diagnosis and treatment of her symptoms. She said that the Practice did not give her the right blood-thinning treatment after she was discharged from hospital. Mrs R said that she had suffered distress, frustration and inconvenience because of failings in her care, and that the Practice did not handle her complaint well.

What we found

We partly upheld Mrs R's complaint. The Practice took too long to get Mrs R's dose of warfarin right. The staff treating her should have discussed her care with more senior staff to decide how to treat her effectively.

We did not find that Mrs R suffered serious health problems because of what the Practice had done, but it was clear that she had been worried and upset while her treatment was not having the required effect.

Putting it right

The Practice had already taken appropriate action to improve how it manages patients' blood-thinning treatment. It apologised to Mrs R for the upset she had experienced as a result of the failing in her care, and acknowledged that the treatment was poor.