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Should I make an NHS complaint?

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  • Should I make an NHS complaint?

    Thank you for any advice.

    Early March 2020 I had an operation to remove my gall bladder due to gall stones. I was sent home the same day.

    The following day a large lump had appeared just above the cut around my belly button. I went to my surgery and my doctor sent me straight to A&E to see someone in the surgical teams (I think) to get it looked at, she thought it might be a bleed or infection and puss causing the lump. The people there, not specifically a doctor, but more a part of a surgical team looked at it and said it was nothing, they gave me a prescription for antibiotics and sent me home.

    A short while later I went to see my doctor again as the area was painful and the lump was still there, it was a decent size, maybe as round as a satsuma, but did not stick out as far as one of those, but looking at it sideways it was a decent very noticeable protrusion. My doctor advised me to go to A&E and get it looked at so I did this. Again I think a surgeon type of guy had a quick look at it and said it was nothing even though it was clear to see the lump.

    After this time I just got on with life as I had been told twice by professionals that it is nothing.

    Over the last maybe 3 years I have mentioned it when at my doctors surgery and been told there is nothing of an issue there. Last year when I was at the surgery I asked the doctor I was in with the check on it because I would get pain on and off. He told me to lay on the bed and he examined it. Pushed it around, felt the area around it, got me to cough whilst pushing it etc and he said it is not a hernia, and is possibly just scar tissue from the gall bladder operation.

    Over the weekend I had the most excruciating pain I have ever had, managed to get to A&E, and after a while bloods were taken to be tested. Hours later a doctor there advised I probably had a strangulated hernia, as bloods were showing infection and the site of the pain would indicate this, he said he would require a cat scan to confirm and we'd go from there. I was immediately put on a couple of drips of antibiotics and paracetamol and had to wait for a surgeon to come and see me. This happened, the surgeon said it is a strangulated hernia and it is a Cat 1 medical emergency so I was taken straight away for the operation. It went well, bowel was alive and hernia was repaired. I was in hospital from 6pm Friday till 3pm Sunday and am now at home with pain killing medication and 2 different antibiotics which I am taking for the infection. I am still in a lot of pain and cannot really do anything.

    Having spoken to professionals and having the area examined a few times I am really angry that this was never really looked into and it was allowed to get to the stage it did, which is pretty life threatening in some circumstances, so I wondered if I should make a complaint, and if so who is it directed towards? The hospital had seen the issue and so did my doctors surgery and it was never taken as a serious matter and the latter visit was misdiagnosed as scar tissue.

    Thanks.
    Tags: None

  • #2
    Hi MRBECKS2025

    Welcome to LB

    You could obviously lodge a complaint via PALS.

    The Trust that covers your area will have a complaints procedures signposted.
    Follow the procedures. This will help if you decide if you want to 'escalate' the matter.

    What you should do before you do anything is send the relevant NHS Data Protection Team
    a Subject Access Request. Make it a General Request, so don't specify dates, as what
    you want and receive might be different.

    https://digital.nhs.uk/about-nhs-dig...access-request

    Comment


    • #3
      As someone with major issues against the nhs (13 fractured vertebrae misdiagnosed as whiplash, fractured tibia femur and hip being passed off as hip arthritis) my best advice is that you never make a serious complaint to the PALS team. The reason is that Pals deal with complaints informally and, as they told me, their aim is to "learn from" any mistakes made. "Learning from" is definitely not the same as providing proper healthcare and possible compensation.

      Mark your letter "formal complaint" and send it to the hospitals Chief Executive. It will still go to the pals team but under the control of the CE.

      If you are not happy with the eventual response, ask for a meeting.

      You might consider asking for help from AVMA, a charity.

      Good advice from ECHAT11 about requesting Subject Access generally and not specifically. As I found out, medical records come from two sources, one that is generated by the doctors and nurses who treated you (the source that they tell you will take 30? days to obtain) and the other is the medical records office. Results tend to differ.

      Comment


      • #4
        To be controversial the NHS cover things up, when they simply shouldn't.

        https://www.theguardian.com/society/...ence-poor-care

        Comment


        • #5
          Yes they do. When i broke my back and neck, it was a car accident, thus a personal injury claim. I sustained further injury when examined by a GP and a consultant, and by the physiotherapist I was sent to for treatment of whiplash, as well as contracting arachnoiditis (a very rare neurological disease). I was sent to an orthopaedic surgeon who offered to go to court and say that I had my injuries, from which I would never recover but these were caused by a mental illness that was consequential to the original accident. When I refused, he and my personal injury solicitor colluded in a fake personal injury claim that compensated me only for the misdiagnosed whiplash.

          Evidence of my injuries in fact came from various Benefits agencies. Unable to find a solicitor to take my case, I went to court myself to try to get permission for Judicial Review. i failed, but the claim was winnable. Recently I find myself thinking that I can challenge this on a point of law. In fact the Judge told me it could be challenged on those grounds. The Casemine comments about the case say:

          "This case serves as a significant reference point in discussions about medical negligence and the responsibilities of health authorities in addressing patient complaints".

          Whilst I have been in very poor health over the years, I lately find myself considering the Casemine comment and thinking that with what I know about how medical negligence is covered up, I owe it to the public to take my case to the very end. This medical dishonesty needs to be stopped.

          ​​​​​​​Thank you for the link.

          Comment

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