Decision Report 201911144

Summary

C sustained severe and multiple injuries to their wrist and pelvis following a road accident. C underwent numerous surgical procedures on their wrist and complained that the care and treatment they received was unreasonable. C felt that due to the placement, the screws that were used caused greater damage. C also said that the board chose not to undertake any further surgery to treat the ongoing pain and limited range of movement that C experienced.

We took independent advice from an appropriately qualified medical adviser. We found that the board provided reasonable emergency care to C immediately after their accident. The surgery carried out was reasonable, with the screws and plates appropriately placed, given the type of injury that C had. We also found that it was reasonable for the board to decide to end the first operation (due to operation length) and undertake further surgery to complete their treatment of C's wrist, and that C's discharge was appropriate. We did not uphold this complaint. However, we noted that earlier counselling around the significance of an injury like this and making sure that C did not have unrealistic expectations, may have been helpful in this case. We provided feedback to the board on this point.