Decision Report 201800056

Summary

Mrs C, who works for an advocacy and support service, complained on behalf of her client (Mr A) about the care and treatment provided to him by his GP. Mr A had suffered a tick bite which had left him with a red rash. Mr A said that the GP dismissed his concerns, and that, following the bite, he had a number of symptoms such as flu like issues, stomach pains, joint and bone pain and neck stiffness. Mr A believed that the GP should have completed further blood tests and carried out investigations to determine if he had Lyme disease (a bacterial disease caused by tick bites).

We took independent advice from a GP adviser. We found there was no corroboration that Mr A had suffered a rash following the bite. The GP had recorded that there was a red lump at the site of the bite, but no rash, and had noted that they thought this was more likely to be a skin infection than a rash associated with Lyme disease. We found that the GP had prescribed antibiotics for a skin infection, and had advised Mr A to look out for symptoms of Lyme disease and what to do should he develop symptoms. We found that the GP had acted reasonably and we did not uphold the complaint.