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Thursday 30 October 2008

Letter to Trust regarding complaint over accessing blood test results

Dear ......

I normally correspond with ....... but understand she is on leave until later on in November. She has asked me to send any communications I make to you.

I have had time to digest the letter I received from ...the CEO..(dated 2 October). This letter was in response to a formal complaint I had made about trying to get access to blood test results, that had been taken whilst I was in Oakley Road Crisis Unit in June 2008.

Firstly, I would like to inform you that I had a telephone conversation with ....... (Practice Manager at my GP Surgery) today, in which the issues around getting the blood test results were made. Following that, I took the letter to her and she has taken a copy. She informed me that she will be completing a full investigation.

Secondly, I need to raise issues in regard to a comment made in the letter from CEO. In the letter CEI stated that I had a discussion a CRHT team member and was told the blood tests had been transferred to Crombie House. I did agree to contact Crombie House and I did so. I rang them and was advised they hadn’t arrived there. I left it, hoping that a member of Crombie House staff would inform me if the blood test results got there. Perhaps I was wrong to assume that. After a while, I assumed that they had not got the results and so then contacted the GP practice again, to see if they had arrived there and they hadn’t so I contacted the Complaints Department.

In all honesty, I do not think it is my role to chase up different NHS departments trying to work out where my blood test results are. Perhaps it is not a policy of BLPT to send copies to the GP surgery or CMHT. If that is the case, I think that policy needs reviewing as someone within this set of departments needs to take responsibility for informing patients what their blood test results are and sooner rather than later.

I am not sure if the letter I received from CEO is the last formal communication I will get from BLPT in regards to this complaint. I write this because it says that if I am not satisfied with the responses I can take the complaint to The Healthcare Commission.

Before I take a complaint to the Healthcare Commission, I need to get the feedback from ........ Although I do not feel assured that the problems I have come across others won’t or that if I was to deal with staff, the responses would be any more efficient in future. What I will do, in future communications with Trust staff, is whomever I deal with, in regards to either my care or the care of my father, I will ask their name and will keep dates and times as well as records of what is said. That way, at least I will be able to evidence what I have done and when. I don’t like having to do that but I feel that will prevent people from justifiably questioning the actions I take.

I do not wish to drop my complaint against the Trust until I have received the outcomes of the investigation .... is completed and what the outcomes of that are. After that I will decide what further action, if any, I wish to take.

Yours etc.

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