Mrs R complained that a GP from an out–of–hours service failed to diagnose a serious spinal condition and advised her to wait until her GP practice opened in the morning.
What happened
Mrs R phoned the out‑of‑ hours service in the early hours because she was worried about her symptoms, which included back pain, left‑sided leg pain and numbness in her hip and leg.
The out‑of‑hours GP discussed pain relief, reassured her about the cause of her symptoms and said that she could contact her GP practice in the morning. He did not advise her about the possibility that she had a serious spinal condition that can cause paralysis and incontinence if not operated on within a specific time frame. Mrs R said his advice delayed her referral to hospital for surgery.
Mrs R was later diagnosed with and operated on for the spinal condition. After surgery, she experienced distressing symptoms that affected her mobility, ability to work and quality of life. Although she is still affected to some extent, her symptoms have since improved.
Mrs R was unhappy about how the out‑of‑hours service and its GP responded to her complaint. She did not think that it acknowledged that the GP had not considered the correct diagnosis and the impact of that on her. Nor did she consider that the out‑of‑hours service had apologised properly or taken sufficient action to stop a similar thing from happening again.
What we found
Mrs R was not advised, as she should have been, about the possible diagnosis of a serious spinal condition. Also, the advice to contact her GP practice in the morning lacked an appropriate sense of urgency. The care given was not in line with General Medical Council guidance, and as a result, Mrs R had surgery later than might have been the case. However, we did not find that the distressing symptoms that she experienced after her surgery were caused by the care provided.
Although the responses to Mrs R's complaint went some way to acknowledging failings in care, the out‑of‑hours did not give the full and frank acknowledgement and apology that Mrs R was seeking and deserved.
We partly upheld the complaint.
Putting it right
The out‑of‑hours service apologised to Mrs R for its failings and paid her £600. It also agreed to draw up an action plan to address its failings.
An out-of-hours GP service
An out-of-hours GP service
Northumberland
Did not apologise properly or do enough to put things right
Apology
Compensation for non-financial loss