Patient complaint about their prescription

What happened

Paul (not his real name) received a complaint from a patient claiming that prescriptions issued after three separate eye examinations over an eight-month period were all incorrect and requesting a refund.

How we helped

We examined the patient’s records and established that the problems the patient had been experiencing could not have been caused by the prescriptions issued, rather that the patient’s eyesight had changed. As the patient’s eyesight changed, so did his prescription and thus each pair of spectacles dispensed were clinically indicated at the time and not incorrect as the patient asserted.

We also assisted Paul in writing a response to the patient, confirming that the spectacles provided at each examination were clinically indicated at the time and thus he was not prepared to issue the patient with a refund.

The outcome

Paul was satisfied that we were able to help him demonstrate that he had acted from the outset with the intention to place the patient at the centre of his service, but that the patient was sensitive to changes in prescription.