Decision Report 202302835

Summary

C complained about the care and treatment received by their young child (A). A had a complex congenital (from birth) heart condition. C complained to the board after A received heart surgery, which had been part of the treatment planned for A. C complained that the board did not reasonably respond to C’s concerns prior to A’s operation. C also complained about the timing of A’s admission to hospital and the timing of the operation.

We took independent advice from a consultant paediatric cardiologist (specialist in children’s heart problems). We found that, overall, the board provided excellent care to A and a successful outcome was achieved through A’s surgery. We found that the timing of A’s operation was reasonable considering A’s age. However, we also found that A was not provided with appropriate follow-up plans in relation to care provided before A’s surgery and that A should have been admitted to hospital three days earlier. On balance, we upheld C’s complaint.

Recommendations

What we asked the organisation to do in this case:

• Apologise to C for the failings identified in this case. The apology should meet the standards set out in the SPSO guidelines on apology available at www.spso.org.uk/information-leaflets.

What we said should change to put things right in future:

• Patients should receive timely admission to hospital and follow-up appointments, based on their clinical needs and presentation.

We have asked the organisation to provide us with evidence that they have implemented the recommendations we have made on this case by the deadline we set.