Mrs A complained about the neurology care she received from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. This included care provided by an NHS Trust in England on behalf of the Health Board. The investigation considered the following: a) whether the Health Board adequately assessed and treated the cause of Mrs A’s tremor, taking into account potential interactions with prescribed medications b) whether Mrs A was inappropriately advised that she had an incurable condition that would prevent her from continuing to practice dentistry.
The investigation found that there was no evidence that the possibility that Mrs A’s tremor had been made worse by a prescribed medication was considered or discussed with her. This should have been discussed with her even other if causes were considered much more likely. The Ombudsman upheld this complaint. The investigation found that the advice given about Mrs A’s ability to work was reasonable. Accordingly, the Ombudsman did not uphold this complaint.
The Ombudsman recommended that the Health Board apologise to Mrs A and make a financial redress payment to her of £1,750. This included £750 in respect of the avoidable inconvenience and distress of living with the tremor for an additional 15 months. It also included £1,000 to reflect the potentially very significant impact of the loss of the opportunity for a different outcome to discussions about Mrs A’s early retirement. The Ombudsman also recommended that the Health Board should remind the clinicians involved in Mrs A’s care of the importance of discussing potentially relevant medication interactions with patients at the earliest possible opportunity and clearly documenting the consideration of medication interactions in patient notes.