Friday 16 October - Sunday 18 October: Complaint form offline

The supplier of our case management system has confirmed that they are experiencing a significant technical issue.

At present, we have no access to the case management system and we are currently unable to take new Public Service Complaints or provide updates on cases. We are planning on the basis that this could continue for a period of time including next week.

Please be assured we are doing all we can and will provide updates on our website.

For an all service update: Service update | SPSO

Decision Report 202503622

  • Case ref:
    202503622
  • Date:
    September 2026
  • Body:
    A Medical Practice in the Fife NHS Board area
  • Sector:
    Health
  • Outcome:
    Resolved, no recommendations
  • Subject:
    Diagnosis

Summary

C complained about an Advanced Nursing Practitioner (ANP) assessment, and failure to correctly diagnose a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE).

We took independent advice from an ANP. We found that the practice's complaint response failed to demonstrate reflective learning, particularly around an apparent failure to adequately consider PE within the differential diagnosis (given C’s reported symptoms and relevant personal and family history) and missed opportunity to refer C to the DVT pathway for further assessment.

Upon notifying the practice of our investigation, and sharing the outcomes C was seeking, they took the opportunity to further reflect on the complaint and they acknowledged and apologised for failings in both the clinical assessment and complaint handling. They outlined a list of learning points that they now proposed to action as a result of the complaint. C was satisfied with this. As both parties agreed to a resolution of the complaint, we discontinued our investigation.

Related reading

Updated: September 23, 2026