Decision Report 201403639

Summary

Miss A was unhappy with the advice she had received on the management of her hypothyroidism (where the thyroid gland produces too little thyroid hormone) with regards to conception and pregnancy. Mrs C, who complained on behalf of Miss A, added that Miss A had complained that she was never offered a face-to-face appointment with a GP at the medical practice and that she had been added to the thyroid follow up register without her knowledge.

We took independent medical advice from our GP adviser. We found that the practice were reasonable in adding Miss A's name to the thyroid follow up register as this is a way to ensure that the patient has annual blood tests to manage the condition. In addition, the practice had responded by apologising and said that this was simply an administrative tool and they had not anticipated it causing any concern. Our adviser told us that there are no guidelines dictating any treatment prior to pregnancy with regards to hypothyroidism, only about actions that should be taken after the woman becomes pregnant. In addition, we found that, given the nature of the consultations, it was reasonable to offer phone appointments. We found that the practice had given a reasonable standard of care.