Hello everyone, I’m sorry we’re here in this ‘club’ and I send you all the love today.
I’m looking for advice/perspectives on pursuing complaints with the NHS on the care of your loved one. My mum died on 26th February 2024 from a heart attack. 5 days prior to this she went to the doctors as she had been experiencing flu-like symptoms & chest pain, and the chest pain she was experiencing on that day she booked her doctors appointment she likened to ‘having a heart attack’ (a detail I have since read in a text message she sent to her manager about needing to leave work early.) Her doctor diagnosed her with a chest infection and gave her antibiotics. 5 days later she died at home alone from a heart attack. I can’t help but wonder what might have happened if her doctor had recognised the possible warning signs, maybe my mum might still be here. My mum has some family history with heart-related issues which her doctor claims my mum never mentioned, which feels like a bit of a cop out to me. It just feels so desperately tragic. My mum was 67, she was about to retire, she had plans for the year already booked in.
I’m hoping to hear from anyone in the online community who might have been through similar with their loved one and misdiagnosis/medical negligence, and whether you decided to make some kind of complaint, or not. I’m so conflicted as to what to do, as I know going through with something like this can be long and traumatic, and ultimately doesn’t bring the person you love back, but the injustice I feel is difficult to carry day to day.
I’d be so very grateful to anyone who shares their stories with me either below or in my DM, as I really don’t know what to do or how to deal with this.
Hello. I am so sorry you are going through this. Perhaps your Mum judged the situation as needing to go to the doctor rather than call an ambulance or go to A&E.
If she died alone at home there may need to be a referral to the coroner to go through all the information to find out what happened.
If you are the next of kin you can have the chance to make a statement called an “antecedent statement” for the coroners.
This may help you answer some of the questions and concerns you have.
If you are concerned about any medical treatment your Mum received there should be some sort of patient liaison service in your area. This is something I used in a separate issue.
If you feel strongly about any treatment your Mum had it is best to follow the official procedure. It is emotionally costly, and I would suggest only committing to this after giving yourself time to write down how you feel. If you do decide to go down that road, it only can rest on evidence that is factual. It is actually not possible to predict that someone is going to have heart issues on a particular day. The medical profession give it in terms of percentages: my husband was told for example of a 53% chance of a heart attack in the next 10 years. Which is really no help at all. And that is a patient with a pre-existing diagnosed heart condition.
I wish you well. And hope things get better for you. The tragedy of this loss is not to be underestimated I know. My husband was 64, and never got to enjoy retirement. It is a really tough thing to face.
Hi im going through a complaint process at the moment for a delayed diagnosis for my husband’s cancer.
I have got a no win no fee solicitor at the moment and in the process of a complaint through PALS with the hospital (I promised my husband before he died) because the hospital kept sending him home and doing nothing I only had 4 weeks from his diagnosis from 22nd October to 23rd November when he passed away.