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Case ref:201404170
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Date:December 2015
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Body:Lothian NHS Board
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Sector:Health
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Outcome:Not upheld, no recommendations
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Subject:clinical treatment / diagnosis
Summary
Mrs C attended the emergency department at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary with severe back pain and difficulty in walking. She complained that she should have had an urgent scan which would have identified that she needed to be referred for surgery. Mrs C also felt that the examination by the emergency doctor was inadequate.
We took independent advice from one of our advisers who is a consultant in emergency medicine. We found minor shortcomings with some aspects of Mrs C's examination. However, as there was no evidence of major motor weakness, we found that there was no failure in not arranging a scan at that time. We concluded that it was reasonable to discharge Mrs C from hospital with the advice to see her GP for a follow-up.