letter of complaint
Hi all, what do you think of this letter, there are some grammatical errors and I need some other dates but just need any input, thanks xx
Dear CEO
This letter comes to you as a result of what I believe to be a lack of care and professionalism with regard to the treatment of my daughter, leading to a relatively straight forward and simple procedure being performed incorrectly, I feel I have no other option but to make a formal complaint.
My daughter was born on 02-01-10 and showed signs of reflux from just a couple days old, she was later diagnosed with severe gastro oesophageal reflux disease and is currently being treated with omeprazole to try and reduce the acid levels causing her severe pain. She has a long history of hospital admissions and outpatient appointments so I will try to keep the details I provide as brief and informative as possible.
On 18-03-10 I attended the outpatient clinic during a time where Jasmine was in real distress and pain, the paediatrician I saw took one look at her and recommended she be admitted. It was discussed during this time that myself and my partner have a strong family history of hiatus hernia (this can in fact be a cause of GERD) and so it was decided that an ultrasound scan be performed to either confirm or disprove that Jasmine was suffering from this structural abnormality. We were admitted with a view to having the scan the following day, during morning rounds of the 19-03-10 Dr Green visited. Whilst sat in a side room I heard her discussing Jasmines case with a colleague (as I understand is routine) clearly stating that an ultrasound scan is useless in the diagnosis of hiatus hernia, she then entered the room and proceeded to tell me that I needed to stop trying to find a medical reason for my daughter being so unsettled and generally miserable and because she was gaining weight there was no cause for concern. The scan I am pleased to say didn’t show any abnormalities but still I am none the wiser if Jasmine is in fact suffering from a hiatus hernia.
Over the last couple of months Jasmines symptoms have been poorly managed on omeprazole starting at a dose of 5mg and gradually rising to the now strong dose of 20mg per day. On this drug she no longer seems in extreme pain but is still uncomfortable and struggles on a daily basis. On a particularly bad day I took Jasmine to the accident and emergency department and she was examined by the out of hours GP. I took along a recording of Jasmine having an attack of choking and the GP stated after watching it that it looked liked Jasmine was choking on regurgitated acid, he also noted she had a sore throat with no sign of infection (GERD can lead to oesophagitis and sore throats which in my opinion is a real cause for concern). He recommended we see a paediatrician - we were first seen by a 2nd year trainee doctor who listened to our concerns and watched my recording, Jasmine was then examined by his superior who noted that Jasmine had a sore throat and enlarged tonsils, after discussing the case with her superior she informed me the best course of action was to admit Jasmine for observation. I explained that I was not happy for Jasmine to be admitted for observation as we know she has GERD and it was a case of her needing further tests to see why the medication was not working sufficiently. The paediatrician explained that because she could not determine why Jasmine had a sore throat and was choking regularly (be it GERD or something else) it would be in Jasmines best interests to be admitted so I agreed. We were told to wait for a nurse who could take us to the children’s ward, we waited for over 2 hours to be admitted. During this time we were asked to seat in a public area so the room we were in could be used. Another paediatrician sat with me whilst my partner was at home packing for myself and Jasmine. He asked how things were and viewed my recording, after which he said that to him, Jasmine seemed happy and healthy so could go home and I’d need to wait until my next outpatient appointment. I explained I was unhappy with this course of action (unfortunately being in a public area other families were listening to this apparent consultation) and the reason I came to a and e was because Jasmine was choking and something more needed to be done for her, this was when her omeprazole was increased from 15mg to 20mg per day. I was told that Dr Tozer (Jasmines usual paediatrician) would be informed and I would be contacted with regard to an outpatient appointment but Jasmine was not going to be admitted and I could taker her home.
The following day I was contacted by one of your staff and informed that Dr Tozer had reviewed Jasmines case and felt that he did not need to see her prior to her next outpatient appointment but a ph study would be performed to determine the severity of her GERD, this was booked for 23-06-10
On the above date we arrived at Louisa cary at 11am where a nurse fitted the ph probe, Jasmine was then x-rayed to confirm the probe was in the correct position for the test, we were shown into a side room and after 20 minutes a nurse informed us that a doctor and confirmed the probe to be correctly positioned and Jasmine was hooked up to the ph monitor for 24 hours. The following day we were discharged and told someone would contact me with the results. I waited until the 28-06-10 but heard nothing (as I understand it ph study results are interpreted internally and so results should be available almost immediately). Dr Tozers secretary informed me the results were back but Dr Tozer was on annual leave until Tues 06-07-10 and so he would place the results on Dr Greens desk and she should get back to me. I heard nothing and left multiple messages (if Jasmine had been well I would have happily waited but the reason for the test was because Jasmine was suffering), on Monday 05-07-10 I left another message pleading with someone to contact me as I was very concerned about Jasmine, Dr Green contacted me and explained she knew very little of GERD but the results came back as Jasmine having acid in her throat for 70% of the test time, she presumed this was severe but couldn’t help me any further and I would need to wait for Dr Tozers return. This left me even more distraught as I now believed my daughter to be suffering severe pain for 20 hours out of 24 and was bemused to be told a paediatrician did not know about a relatively common disease.
Dr Tozer contacted me Back on weds 07-07-10 and apologised for not calling beforehand, he asked how Jasmine was and I explained she was still having severe pain episodes, still suffering from a sore throat and generally miserable. He went on to explain that when he saw Jasmines result he knew it cold not be correct and so examined her x-ray and instantly realised that the probe had been inserted into her stomach, this of course would invalidate the results as the stomach is an acidic environment, the purpose of the test was to see if any acid was escaping from the stomach into Jasmines oesophagus. He was deeply apologetic and said that a junior doctor must have looked at the x-ray and presumed it was a feeding tube placement but he cold not find any record to show which doctor looked at the x-ray. He explained the test should be performed again and a nurse would contact me to book her in at the next available opportunity (I have to date still heard nothing).
This really is the culmination of months of carelessness, ignorance and a never ending battle to get my daughter treated. I believe that because children outgrow this disease it is not taken seriously.
My main concerns are as follows
Why was an ultrasound scan performed when it was of no diagnostic value
Why was I told by a senior paediatrician that I needed to stop trying to find a medical reason for my daughter being so unsettled when she had been diagnosed with severe gastro oesophageal reflux disease
How could a patient who had been booked in specifically for a ph study be confused with a patient who needed enteral feeding, were the notes ignored and did Jasmine receive the level of care you hope your hospital provides
Why were the results of the ph study left on a doctors desk for 2 weeks without being looked at
If the results were looked at why did someone not contact me as the readings were so severe
How did Dr Green not realise (as Dr Tozer did) that the results must be wrong and investigate further
Why is Dr Tozer deemed the only doctor competent enough to deal with GERD
Is my child going to receive adequate treatment and be managed correctly so that she no longer has to cope with heartburn every day
Please tell me why is a child allowed to suffer this pain when an adult with severe heartburn indigestion thinks they are having a heart attack, in this day and age where intricate and life saving operations are performed on a daily basis can a baby be allowed to suffer from what is essentially heartburn. Jasmine is now 6 months old and I have been told on numerous occasion that babies outgrow this disease, she shows no signs of doing so, is this because she has a hiatus hernia?
Through complaining I hope to improve the level of care that Jasmine receives and any tests that have to be performed are done so with a reasonable level of competence.
I have contacted the local MP for Torbay, Adrian Sanders who has stated he will support me and Jasmine in our hope to get her disease properly managed and if we do not gain satisfaction I will have no alternative but to take my complaint to a higher level.
I greatly appreciate your time in reading this letter and would hope for a quick response so that Jasmine can get the help she most greatly needs and deserves.
Yours faithfully
Emma kelly
Views: 4
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Harriet on -
Well written. Thinking of you guys xx big hugs. Hope you get it to him today so it spoils his Friday afternoon x
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Permalink Reply by Lara Hamilton on -
Hi Emma
Well done you, the letter is fabulous. You have stated your (and Jasmines) case very clearly in a factual manner. You have made it very very clear that youve had enough and will not take any more nonsense. And you've left it in their hands to give the answers to the questions poor Jasmine needs.
Hopefully they will now perform all necessary tests, I think a barium definately needed to rule out hernia.
I'm really proud of you Em, you've fought and battled so hard for beautiful Jasmine, you are her mummy and you love her very very much and you have and are being her advocate.
Big huge squeezy hugs
Lxxx
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Permalink Reply by Jenny Cadman on -
Hi Emma, The letter reads well and is very clear and factual. I hope they now take notice and within hours of receiving it you are getting a call to take Jasmine in. They won't forget yours or Jasmine's name in a long time and hopefully soon she will get the help she needs and can enjoy being a baby without having to suffer. Hope to hear some good news soon xx
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Permalink Reply by EmilyG on -
Well done Emma really well written! Look forward to hearing how they respond - I have had a very positive response to my letter about my son Ben. Fingers crossed you get her sorted v soon xx
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Permalink Reply by Kulvinder on -
Well done hun. Letter is very well written and reads really well. Hope you get a prompt response and they do something to treat Jasmine xx
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Permalink Reply by Sonia on -
Have just joined this site, and yours was the first post I have read. I think your letter does the job brilliantly and I hope you hear from them soon.
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Permalink Reply by emma louise kelly on -
Hi everyone, thanks so much for your replies and apologies for going AWOL for so long but my computer has been out of action all this time, it's been a struggle not having little refluxers during this time but there have been developments that have far exceeded my expectations. I have had a letter from CEO apologising for mistakes and palming me off with excuses (as I expected). BUT the main thing is Jasmine had her ph study 3 weeks ago and it came back normal!!!!!!!!! She came off her omeprazole 3 weeks ago for the test and I haven't put her back on it as she seemed so happy. During the study the monitor showed her acid levels and it went under 4 a few times but only for a minute each time. All the behaviours I associated with her reflux such as the funny noise she makes and her back arching etc she did during the test yet her ph was normal and so I think she has learned to use these for other things. Last week she became unsettled and I thought oh no it's back so I got a prescription for ranitidine but after a couple days she cut a tooth and has been more settled since so I have not used it. I pushed for the ph study as I truly believed she was still suffering from reflux but it showed that she is not suffering from reflux and I am so thankful I had it done as I would probably have gone on for months thinking the meds weren't working and her behaviour was reflux related. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT. I'm not going so far as to say she has outgrown it and am still on tender hooks waiting but 3 weeks off meds and she's great, it's a bloody miracle :-) xx xx
Hope everyone is ok and I can't believe how many new mummys are here searching for help, I am thinking of starting a campaign for reflux awareness, I was looking through my videos I took of Jasmine when she was really severe and I just broke down cos she looked in so much distress and it felt hopeless but please remember mummys it does get better, looking at my beautiful girl you wouldn't know she had suffered so much and she really smiles all the time now, people always comment on what a happy baby she is.
If anyone needs my help i'm here xx xx xx
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Permalink Reply by Yanka on -
Hi Emma, I totally agree with a reflux awareness campaign. I'm with you! I think we should all try to get things changed among health visitors, GPs, paediatricians, etc. I'm sure we could improve at least the level of knowledge of this awful condition among health professionals and parents. I know a few people working with media (The Guardian & Times) and I'm sure if we join forces and come up with something like a small demonstration or petition or I don't know... something... we could try to get some space on the press and put pressure on the authorities. Mums out there, what you think we could do? x
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Permalink Reply by emma louise kelly on
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Hi Yanka, I think one thing we could do is firstly get a questionarre/survey on here and possibly bounty etc asking how mums/dads found treatment of health proffesionals, collect it all up then write a report such as 100 people were surveyed, such and such percent found hv useless, gps useless, paeds useless (sound about right?), and then send it to paper such as the guardian/times, hopefully they will print it. Also could ask for maybe baby publications to do something. We need it to reach docs so I wonder how you get something published in medical times? Local MPs can be helpful and I found complaining helped. I complained to my local hospital though, there must be an national complaints procedure where you complain to the whole NHS. I'm rubbish owith attachements though but will get on it. Hope you and lo doing ok xx
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Permalink Reply by geribstewart on -
totally agree. Being involved with Bounty costs a bomb, they're only here to make money. We also need to reach the right audience. We need to a) educate mothers and b) communicate to medical professionals. A paper like The Daily Mail will reach mothers (as much as I hate that paper though!!) and they only publish negative stories (they even admit that when you pitch nice stories to them!!!). They love criticising the government, the NHS, etc so I actually think they will be perfect for this type of story. In order for the story to get picked up, the survey needs to come from a reputable source, not an individual. Big companies pay big money to do surveys and they don't always get picked up by news agencies. I suppose it could be a LIttle Refluxers survey but we'd need to get stats on the website, etc to make it look like THE place to get help with reflux, which it effectively is. The Guardian is a little focused on media but I think The TImes or even the Independent would be spot on to reach docs and medical professionals.
I also think we should go to parenting mags as they focus all too often on colic and not reflux. A magazine like Practical Parenting would be perfect for this as it covers all ages, from newborn to preschool and we all know how reflux doesn't always disappear by a child's first birthday.
Emma, I'm so glad Jasmine is doing so well. It's great to hear such positive stories and it just proves that with the right treatment and info, it can be done.
Let me know if you need any help on this, I should be able to get all the right contacts at newspapers and magazines and would be happy to pitch the story to them
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Permalink Reply by Sarah on -
That's FANTASTIC news Em!!!! I'm soooo pleased for you & Jasmine!!!! Make the most of enjoying your beautiful happy little lady...you all deserve this!! I bet you were so shocked & then so overjoyed when it sunk in!?! Surely if Ph study came clear (no doubt it wouldn't have done if she'd had it when you 1st wanted it!) & she's been great while meds free for 3wks then she must've outgrown it. No doubt she''ll still have teething pain & normal baby bad days to deal with, but her little system must've matured to get rid of the evil reflux, so surely it can't get bad again?!!
If you can do something to prevent others from suffering then that's Fab & if anyone can do it I'm sure you can! Though I think you should put away the vids you've suffered enough without reliving it. I know how bad it is when I see a photo of Ben when he looked so thin & poorly & it brings back painful memories! Just focus on enjoying the good times to come!!! ;-) xxx
ps how old is she now?
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