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No response as yet to formal complaint

Posted By mallory

"No response as yet to formal complaint"

About: Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh at Little France / Trauma and Orthopaedics

(as a relative),

My mother has now died of a uterine sarcoma which had been building up since March 2013. Okay, she was an old lady (86) - but just supposing she had been a lot younger, would she have been strung along in the same way?

I have PoA, so I had the authority to submit an official complaint against three people in the gynaecology depatment of ERI. I also had access to all the notes on the case.

I submitted an official complaint to CRAFT in September. Normally, I should receive some kind of decision within 20 days. I understand that this kind of complaint might take longer, so I didn't mind when I received a letter to that effect. But it is now almost January 2015 - and I have still heard nothing about the status of the complaint. What's going on?

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Responses

Response from Customer Relations and Feedback Team, NHS Lothian 9 years ago
Customer Relations and Feedback Team
NHS Lothian

Submitted on 05/01/2015 at 15:26
Published on Care Opinion at 15:30

Although I do not have your details from your post I have tried from the information provided to track your complaint. If I have identified the correct complaint a response was sent on 18 December 2014. If you would like to telephone the Customer Relations and Feedback Team we will be able to provide you with the correct information and if the response was sent out on 18 December and you have not received it we can forward you a copy. You can contact the Customer Relations and Feedback Team on 0131 465 5658 or email craft@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful

Update posted by mallory (a relative)

Thank you. I will contact Craft. I have not been at my home address since 9 December. I am interested to hear the outcome and why it took so long.

Update posted by mallory (a relative)

That complaint that was supposedly answered on 18 December must have been for someone else. Nothing has arrived at my address abroad.

I don't mind waiting. I just want it to be properly investigated. Just in case anyone anywhere is sitting on it in the hope that I will forget. No way. My mum was shabbily treated by the gynaecology department at ERI. My complaint was against three different people who neglected to give my 86-year-old mother the attention she should have received. Maybe they are carrying the can for management policy! Who is responsible at the end of the day? This really needs to be investigated.

Response from Customer Relations and Feedback Team, NHS Lothian 9 years ago
Customer Relations and Feedback Team
NHS Lothian

Submitted on 16/01/2015 at 11:58
Published on Care Opinion at 13:05

Dear mallory

I would really be grateful if you could contact CRAFT to allow me the opportunity to resolve this issue. If you call please ask for the manager or email and mark the email for the attention of the manager and I will be able to deal with your concern of not receiving a response.

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Response from Customer Relations and Feedback Team, NHS Lothian 9 years ago
Customer Relations and Feedback Team
NHS Lothian

Submitted on 16/01/2015 at 14:15
Published on Care Opinion at 14:40

Dear mallory

Having gone through the complaints received in the time frame you mention I can find only one similar to your comments in your first post. The response was posted on 18 December 2014 in respect of that complaint to an overseas address.

The best solution is to contact us so we can identify if this is the same complaint and if it is we can send you a copy of the response that was posted by air mail on 18 December 2014.

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful

Update posted by mallory (a relative)

The answer to my complaint did arrive. It must have been held up in the Christmas post. There was one aspect that was not addressed, so it has been sent back to the clinical manager. Once that has been settled I will request a personal meeting with the person who sent me an apology.

Update posted by mallory (a relative)

This is the last time I'll be posting about my grievances re. the gynaecology department at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. Just was to say that the Lothian Health Board has investigated the complaint and agreed that errors were made which delayed the diagnosis and the treatment. upheld the complaint. My purpose was not so much to get justice for my mum - who was 87 and has since died of a very rare and aggressive form of uterine cancer - but to ensure that this does not happen again to younger patients. Hopefully we have achieved that.

Many thanks.

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