Decision Report 201807430

Summary

Mrs C, an advocate, complained on behalf of her client (Ms A) about the care and treatment they received from the board. Ms A was seen by an ophthalmologist (a specialist in medical and surgical eye problems) and complained that they did not carry out an appropriate assessment and did not record their observation that the discs at the back of her eyes were enlarged. Ms A also complained that her discharge was inappropriately handled and that a mix up regarding her blood test results caused a delay to her discharge.

The board advised that it was determined by the ophthalmologist that no further follow-up was required. The board acknowledged that there was confusion about how long Ms A had to wait following a procedure before she could be discharged and that her blood test results had been misread.

We took independent advice from a consultant ophthalmologist and from a consultant physician. We found that the ophthalmologist's assessment was reasonable and that the swelling identified at the back of Ms A's eyes did not require to be acted upon. We did not uphold this aspect of the complaint. With regards to Ms A's discharge, while we noted that there was a mix up regarding Ms A's blood test results, we considered that the board acted in the best interest of the patient, in light of the information available to them at the time, and it was therefore appropriate to require Ms A to remain in hospital for one further night for observation. Therefore, we did not uphold this aspect of the complaint.