Clinical treatment outside hospital; GP : A GP surgery in the area of Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board

Mrs X’s complaint related to the care and treatment that her late father, Mr Y, received from a GP Practice in the area of Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board. Specifically, Mrs X complained about the GP Practice’s management of Mr Y’s condition between February and August 2021, and whether there was a failure on the part of the GP Practice to take appropriate action which would have resulted in an earlier diagnosis of his metastatic colorectal cancer.

The Ombudsman concluded that the care and treatment provided to Mr Y between February and August 2021 was clinically appropriate. She found that Mr Y’s clinical presentation was very complex as he was diagnosed with diabetes at the start of events, which made his condition harder to diagnose. Additionally, Mr Y presented with significant upper gastrointestinal symptoms, which were correctly subject to referral and endoscopy, but also made his condition harder to diagnose. Finally, the Ombudsman found that an earlier referral for Mr Y in respect of his cancer would have been unlikely to lead to a substantially different outcome for him because of the extremely advanced nature of his cancer.

Mrs X’s complaint about the GP Practice was therefore not upheld.