The company which runs Boots travel insurance is being investigated following claims customers died after being denied emergency flights home.
Doctors working for Travel Insurance Facilities are being investigated for alleged medical negligence and fraud by the General Medical Council, The Times reports.
They are accused of ‘denying suitable care’ to policyholders. The company, which is the second largest travel insurance group in the UK, is also accused of forcing patients pay up front for care they receive while on holiday.
Doctors working for Travel Insurance Facilities are being investigated for alleged medical negligence and fraud by the General Medical Council, The Times reports
The firm, which trades under brands including Holiday Safe and Alpha, is also being probed by the Financial Conduct Authority over claims policy holders were misled.
A whistle-blower said: ‘I remember patients needing life-saving or life-changing operations and [the doctor] just wouldn’t pick up the phone for weeks.
‘Patients would say, and I agree, practice was to frustrate the patient’s family so much that they would either give up or pay for the treatment themselves.’
Nicholas Kingsbury’s father died of sepsis after TIF refused to fly him home after he suffered a blood clot on the brain.
He said: ‘My father bought Boots cover but was left to die in a hospital that did not even have a defibrillator. Every McDonald’s in Britain has one.
‘The insurer was told that my father would die unless he was evacuated but it did not even bother to ask for the medical records and just said ‘what he needs is peace and quiet”.
It is believed at least five cases involving two doctors are now being investigated by the medical council.
The company which runs Boots travel insurance is being investigated following claims customers died after being denied emergency flights home
A Travel Insurance Facilities spokesman told MailOnline: ‘We wholly deny the very serious allegations appearing in The Times’ articles today.
‘We are in the process of taking formal steps to begin legal proceedings against the Times. The allegations made are extremely damaging and not in the public interest.
‘When people fall ill abroad, naturally their first instinct is to want to come home. However, this may not necessarily be what is best for them in medical terms to achieve the most optimal recovery.
‘Our focus is on the best clinical outcome for patients based on expert medical advice, clinical fact, aviation medicine and our extensive experience of transporting unwell holidaymakers across the globe.
‘We advise on the safest course of action in the specific circumstances of every case.’