GP Practice did not perform relevant tests to exclude a possible Achilles tendon rupture

What happened

Mrs S fell and injured her ankle. She went to two appointments at her GP Practice and was diagnosed with a 'ligamentous injury'. She was referred for physiotherapy and the physiotherapist suspected a tendon rupture. Mrs S then had tests that confirmed that her Achilles tendon had ruptured. Mrs S now needs surgery to repair the tendon.

Mrs S complained to the Practice. The Practice's review of the complaint did not consider if staff should have carried out tests to rule out a rupture.

What we found

We partly upheld this complaint. Doctors at the Practice should have excluded a possible Achilles tendon rupture before they diagnosed a 'ligamentous injury'.

Mrs S might still have needed surgery if her rupture had been diagnosed earlier, but the delay in the diagnosis caused her distress, pain and inconvenience. She will never know if she would have needed surgery if doctors had diagnosed her rupture earlier.

Putting it right

The Practice acknowledged and apologised for its failings and paid compensation of £750. It also created an action plan to address the issues identified and arranged training on assessing ankle injuries.