Decision Report 201901468

Summary

C attended their GP with shoulder pain and was referred to orthopaedics (specialists in the treatment of diseases and injuries of the musculoskeletal system) who, during the initial consultation, reviewed x-rays and ultrasound imaging and concluded no broken bones were shown. A was diagnosed with muscle patterning (when the pattern of muscle contractions is altered) and referred to the physiotherapy department for treatment.

C had a number of follow-up appointments and was discharged around four months later as it was considered that there was no further treatments they could be offered to alleviate the symptoms. C was then referred to the neurology department (the branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the nervous system). Around the same time, after seeing a private doctor, C had an MRI scan and the results showed that C had broken ribs. C considered that medical professionals focused on their disability and other medical conditions, unreasonably delayed in diagnosing the broken bones and that it was only because they instructed a private consultant, that the injuries were diagnosed.

We took independent advice from an appropriately qualified medical professional. We found that the board performed appropriate investigations following C's referral by their GP. There was an appropriate multidisciplinary approach following the initial consultation involving physiotherapy, rheumatology (the branch of medicine that deals with rheumatism, arthritis, and other disorders of the joints, muscles, and ligaments), orthopaedics and neurology. The fractures identified occurred after the initial consultation and investigations carried out following the GPs referral. We considered that there was no unreasonable delay in diagnosing C's broken bones and therefore we did not uphold the complaint.