Private treatment sought after unnecessary delays

What happened

Mrs B complained that a consultant rheumatologist misdiagnosed her with vitamin D deficiency and stopped her medication, causing a flare up in her arthritis. Mrs B asked to transfer her care to a different consultant but appointments were cancelled or delayed. After a scan, Mrs B had to wait ten months for the results which confirmed that she qualified to receive specialist biological therapy. Mrs B received the medication three months later but said she had experienced excruciating pain for over a year for which she had to seek private treatment. She said she had had no support from the Trust during this time.

What we found

While it was not unreasonable for the first consultant to consider that Mrs B's symptoms were due to side effects of her medication and Vitamin D deficiency, the consultant could have staged the medication withdrawal over a longer period of time, warned Mrs B of the possibility of a flare up of her arthritis, and given access to support in the event of this happening.

There were unreasonable delays in rebooking Mrs B's appointments when they were cancelled. There was also a delay of over a year in providing the specialist biological drug therapy to Mrs B, which prolonged her pain and suffering.

Putting it right

The Trust apologised to Mrs B and paid her £3,500 for financial and non‑financial loss. The Trust agreed to draw up an action plan to address the failings we identified.