Overview
The complainant (Mrs C) raised concerns regarding the care and treatment received by her daughter (Miss A) when she attended the Royal Alexandra Hospital with back pain. Miss A was initially treated for a chest infection and referred for physiotherapy in respect of her back pain, however, she was subsequently diagnosed with a spinal infection and Mrs C complained that this was not diagnosed earlier. In addition, Mrs C raised her concerns that Miss A's anti-coagulant medication prevented surgical treatment of Miss A's infection.
Specific complaints and conclusions
The complaints which have been investigated are that:
- (a) there was a delay in referring Miss A for a Magnetic Resonance Imaging scan and, consequently, in diagnosing her spinal infection (upheld); and
- (b) the provision of anti-coagulant medication to Miss A prevented the possibility of surgical treatment of her spinal infection and a potentially more positive outcome (not upheld).
Redress and recommendations
The Ombudsman recommends that the Board:
- (i) apologise to Miss A for the delay in diagnosing her spinal infection;
- (ii) review their process in respect of identifying 'red flag' features in patients and taking relevant action upon identification of these; and
- (iii) ensure that complaints officers accurately reflect clinicians' feedback in their response to complaints.
The Board have accepted the recommendations and will act on them accordingly.