Decision Report 201503737

Summary

Mr C's father (Mr A) was diagnosed with stomach cancer and died five months later. Mr C complained that the medical practice should have investigated his father's symptoms sooner as an earlier scan may have allowed some level of preventative treatment. We took independent advice from a medical adviser who is a GP. We found that until he was under the care of hospital specialists, Mr A had not reported or exhibited symptoms of more serious underlying disease which would have suggested urgent referral in accordance with national guidelines for the investigation of cancer. The adviser therefore considered that there was no evidence from Mr A's medical records that the practice failed to identify or act on any concerning symptoms, so we did not uphold Mr C's complaint.