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Case ref:201303782
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Date:January 2015
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Body:Lothian NHS Board
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Sector:Health
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Outcome:Not upheld, no recommendations
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Subject:clinical treatment / diagnosis
Summary
Ms C complained that the board failed to diagnose and treat her in 2013, as well as failing to inform her about the steps they had taken during this time.
As part of our investigation we obtained independent advice from one of our medical advisers, who is an experienced doctor. He reviewed Ms C's medical records and explained that they indicated that throughout 2013 the board had made reasonable efforts to reach a diagnosis that explained Ms C's symptoms. He also said that the records indicated that the board had explained their findings to Ms C and that any diagnosis made – or not made – was reasonably communicated to her.
Although we recognised how strongly Ms C felt about this, our role was to consider whether the evidence indicated that her care and treatment fell below a reasonable standard. For example, although the board had not provided Ms C with a clear diagnosis this did not necessarily mean that they acted unreasonably. In light of the medical advice we received, we did not uphold her complaints as the evidence did not indicate that the board failed to diagnose and treat Ms C or to inform her about the steps they had taken.