Decision report 201104984

Summary

Mr C complained on behalf of a constituent (Mr A). He complained about the board's decision to refuse funding for Mr A's weight-loss surgery to be carried out by another health board.

Mr A had serious concerns about the care and treatment he received from the board, when he was admitted to hospital previously. As a result, during the past few years, his GP had referred him for treatment, including weight-loss surgery, to a hospital in another health board area. The hospital offered Mr A weight-loss surgery but said that it would have to be funded by his local health board. The local board decided not to approve Mr A's application for funding and instead offered him the weight-loss surgery service that they provided. Mr A, however, believed it would be in his best medical interests for the surgery to be performed outwith his local health board area.

Our investigation found that the board's decision to refuse the funding of Mr A's treatment at another health board was a discretionary decision that they were entitled to take. We cannot look at such a decision unless we find evidence that something went wrong in the way it was taken. We did not uphold Mr C's complaint, as we found that the board followed their procedures and took all relevant factors into account in reaching their decision.