HEALTH bosses have been criticised for failing to pursue a complaint against a GP who struck an entire family off his list after one member challenged his advice.

The case is highlighted in the annual report of the Health Service Ombudsman.

The Wigan and Bolton Health Authority GP (who has not been named) removed the family - who also are not named - from his practice list after the mother complained he had advised her daughter to stop breast-feeding her baby.

After challenging the GP over the advice, the mother, her daughter and her son, who had no involvement in the matter, were removed from the GP's list.

Wigan and Bolton Health Authority then stepped in but the complaints convenor, appointed by the authority, refused to set up an independent review of the woman's complaint because GPs' terms of service gives them the legal right to remove patients from their list without giving a reason.

Mr Mike Ruane, Chief Executive of the authority, said: "This decision was taken because the convenor believed nothing more could be done after approaching the GP, who was adamant he would not review the case."

In his report, Health Service Ombudsman Michael Buckley concludes that in the case of the daughter, who had refused to talk to the GP, it was reasonable for the doctor to assume their professional relationship had broken down.

However he criticises the removal of other family members, some of whom had no involvement in the original complaint.

He also criticises the Health Authority convenor for not dealing with the complaint through the set NHS complaints procedure.

Mr Ruane said the health authority had already offered a full apology to the family concerned and described the case as "very regrettable".

"It is very difficult to know what happens between two individuals when you are looking in on a case such as this.

"This family are now registered with another GP and we fully accept that we were at fault in this case.

"It has also taught us some very valuable lessons and in the future we will be handling any such cases in the way suggested by the Ombudsman."

Because of patient confidentiality no details have been released about the family involved.

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