Doctors missed a man’s stroke which led him to suffer another one and temporarily go blind, a report found.
The patient, 75, had visited his GP in Darlington complaining of dizziness, light-headedness, and a numb foot.
His GP failed to notice that he had suffered a stroke and diagnosed him with a “dropped foot”, according to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO).
A referral for an urgent MRI scan was not sent due to an “administrative error”, meaning the scan never took place.
Around a month after visiting the GP, the man suffered another stroke after developing a blinding headache and diminished vision. He saw an ophthalmologist who referred him to a specialist team.
A private scan later determined that he had suffered his first stroke a month earlier.
The man lost vision in his right eye, which he was told could be permanent. His sight did not return for eight weeks.
His daughter, who described the experience as “horrendous”, complained to PHSO about her father’s care.
PHSO said that doctors should have initially suspected a stroke and immediately sent the patient to hospital.
The “second stroke and sight loss would likely have been avoided if that had happened”, they added.
The ombudsman did not name the patient or GP surgery involved.
Ombudsman Rob Behrens said: “Having a stroke and then being told you could be permanently blind must have been incredibly frightening. The impact on the man, and his family who supported him through the ordeal, will have been deep and long-lasting.
“Mistakes like these need to be recognised and acted upon so that they are not repeated.”
The man’s daughter said: “We were very lucky that he did get his sight back, but at the time we did not know that was going to happen. We went through all the emotions.
“When you’re looking after someone who’s suffering badly and you find out that they didn’t have to go through that, it makes you really angry.
“The impact on his life has been unreal. He has ‘brain fog’, he doesn’t go out or drive anymore, he feels dizzy a lot and uses a walking stick. It’s heart-breaking to see.”
The GP surgery has apologised for the distress caused by not sending the MRI referral and claimed it has made improvements to prevent this from happening again.
PHSO recommended that the surgery should write to acknowledge their failings and apologise. They also advised the surgery to pay the man £1,200 for the distress and to cover the cost of the private MRI scan.
The surgery has complied with all these recommendations, PHSO said.
