Festive closure

We will close at 5pm on Tuesday 24 December 2024 and reopen at 9am Friday 3 January 2025. You can still submit complaints through our online form, but we won't respond until we reopen.

Decision Report 201803268

  • Case ref:
    201803268
  • Date:
    November 2018
  • Body:
    A Medical Practice in the Lothian NHS Board area
  • Sector:
    Health
  • Outcome:
    Not upheld, no recommendations
  • Subject:
    clinical treatment / diagnosis

Summary

Mr C complained that he had been on two types of long term painkilling medication which the practice had failed to keep under regular review. Mr C was admitted to hospital as an emergency with symptoms of bleeding from his rectum. Mr C believed that he should not have been on both medications at the same time and that they caused his rectal bleeding. He felt that if the medication had been reviewed regularly then the bleeding would have been prevented.

We took independent advice from a general practitioner. We found that it was appropriate for the practice to have prescribed both types of medication for Mr C and that there was no requirement to keep the medication under regular review. It was also found that there was another cause of Mr C's bleeding which was not connected with the medication. We did not uphold Mr C's complaint.

Updated: December 2, 2018