GP Practice ignored wife's complaint about husband's care and treatment

What happened

Mrs J complained that the GP failed to provide an adequate examination of her husband's leg, only looking at it 'over the desk'. She added that as a result, his leg became infected, requiring several trips to A&E.

Mrs J also complained about the GP's complaint handling. She said that while she sent her original letter of complaint to the PCT in autumn 2012, the Practice didn't respond until early 2013, when it explained that the complaint had only been forwarded to it 11 days earlier.

Mrs J did not receive this letter from the Practice and it was re–sent by recorded delivery. It is not clear when this finally arrived, but in a second letter to the Practice, sent in summer 2013, Mrs J referred to receiving its recent response, the contents of which she found to be unsatisfactory. The Practice did not reply to this letter.

What we found

Mr J saw a podiatrist who thoroughly examined his leg and identified an infection. During a later visit to the GP for a flu vaccination, Mr J told him about the infection and was prescribed medication. The GP asked Mr J to return to him if there was no improvement. We have found that this treatment, provided by the GP, was appropriate.

Although Mrs J had to wait too long for a response to her first complaint, this was not the Practice's fault.

The Practice told us that it could not provide a response to Mrs J's second letter of complaint without Mr J's consent. While correct, the Practice should also have applied this to Mrs J's initial complaint. The Practice should still have acknowledged Mrs J's second letter, explaining why it was unable to provide a response. The fact that it did not was a failing. We partly upheld the complaint.

Putting it right

The GP wrote to Mrs J apologising for failing to respond to her letter.