Area team handles complaint badly

What happened

Miss D visited her GP with an excruciating headache. A nurse practitioner saw her and diagnosed a migraine. Two days later, Miss D went to her local A&E, where staff found that she had a ruptured aneurysm, a swelling in an artery.

Miss D complained to the primary care trust, (the PCT) which responded to her complaint. When Miss D contacted the PCT with outstanding concerns, it passed her case to the Area Team in spring 2013. The Area Team took over a year to respond to Miss D.

What we found

The nurse practitioner made a reasonable diagnosis on the basis of Miss D's symptoms, which had not indicated that she had a ruptured aneurysm.

There were failings in the Area Team's complaint handling.

Putting it right

The Area Team apologised to Miss D for its failings and paid her £250 compensation. It also agreed to draw up an action plan setting out the action it will take to address the failings we found.