Decision Report 201401557

Summary

Mrs C's son (Mr A) sustained a head injury while playing sport. He attended A&E at Perth Royal Infirmary where he was examined and discharged. He was later found to have suffered a fracture to his neck which required surgery to correct. Mrs C complained that her son was not properly assessed in A&E and should have been sent for medical imaging. The board stated that they had followed established guidance on the decision-making process regarding medical imaging and that on the information available at the time regarding Mr A’s symptoms there was no reason to perform any medical imaging.

We took independent medical advice on this complaint from one advisers, who told us that Mr A's assessment in A&E was thorough and adhered to the relevant guidance. The adviser also said when Mr A was examined there was no obvious reason to refer Mr A for imaging. We considered Mr A’s treatment to have been reasonable and did not uphold the complaint.