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Annual Report of the Ombudsman 2004

Chapter 3 - North Western Health Board - Complaint Over Inadequate Service

North Western Health Board

Complaint Over Inadequate Service

I was contacted by a woman whose husband, a medical card holder, had been discharged recently from hospital. Her husband subsequently became ill again, and the woman endeavoured to contact her husband’s G.P. with a view to having him carry out a home visit. Unfortunately, the G.P. was away and the woman experienced considerable difficulty in making contact with the Locum on his mobile phone. When she did eventually contact the Locum and explained her husband’s condition, he refused to do a house visit. Instead, he advised the woman over the phone as to what she might administer to her husband in order to relieve his condition. However, the woman continued to have concerns regarding her husband and took it upon herself to bring him back to hospital where he was readmitted and treated.

The woman subsequently made a complaint to the North Western Health Board but it was reluctant to deal with the issue and referred her to the Medical Council. This is the body which deals with clinical complaints against members of the medical profession. Rather than approaching the Medical Council the woman wrote to me outlining her complaint, as she felt that the Board should have been able to deal with it. I agreed with the complainant and took the view that, since her husband was a medical card holder, and the G.P. held a contract with the Board, it should have examined the complaint in the first instance. I asked the Board to arrange a meeting which was attended by the Locum, the complainant and the Board and during which the woman articulated the difficulties and concerns which she had regarding the service. This meeting allowed the parties to discuss the matter in a dignified and positive way. The Locum apologised and he offered to put his apology in writing to the complainant.

I was especially pleased that the matter could be resolved without reference to the Medical Council particularly since I viewed the difficulties in this case as being administrative in nature.

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