Can you sue the NHS if a gp fails to diagnose or refuses tests for, critical conditions?
If it is serious malpractice, then you would have a case – e.g. if the patient was clearly ill, and the doctor failed to examine them properly, or to take appropriate action. However, a lot of serious conditions have the same symptoms as milder illnesses, and it’s hard for GPs to be sure, particularly if there is no history of the illness in the patient or their family. Also, not everyone has the classic symptoms of whatever their illness is – it may look more like something else. If they refuse tests, again, it depends on why they refuse them. Some patients are always demanding tests, every time they have a headache, and to be honest, in those cases it’s very hard for doctors to know when the patient is really in need of further tests. It also depends on whether the tests are likely to be invasive and maybe cause more harm than good. Personally, I would always give a GP the benefit of the doubt – they are under a lot of pressure, and from time to time they are bound to miss things. I
