Overview
The Complainant (Mr C) raised a number of concerns about the care and treatment he received for his broken leg at Ninewells Hospital, Dundee between September 2001 and January 2002.
Specific complaints and conclusions
The complaints which have been investigated are that:
- (a) the original external fixator in his leg should not have been removed without pain relief, and should not have been removed from Mr C’s leg while there was non-union of bones (not upheld);
- (b) the shortness in Mr C’s right leg should have been corrected (not upheld); and
- (c) inappropriate advice was given in January 2002 that Mr C's bones were united enough to benefit from intensive physiotherapy, and that an x-ray should have been taken before such advice was given (not upheld).
Redress and recommendations
The Ombudsman recommends that Tayside NHS Board (the Board):
- (i) should include doctors' note keeping as part of their yearly appraisal; and
- (ii) perform an audit to ensure that record keeping at the Hospital is of a sufficiently high standard and complies with the standard set down by the General Medical Council's Good Practice Guidelines.
The Board have accepted the Ombudsman's recommendations and will act on them accordingly.