Overview
The complainant (Mr C) contacted the Ombudsman about multiple concerns relating to the post-operative care he received following the extraction of a wisdom tooth at Dundee Dental Hospital. Mr C believes that, given his past medical history, his care was substandard and that Tayside NHS Board (the Board) failed to consider his symptoms adequately, resulting in him being admitted to Ninewells Hospital for nine days.
Specific complaints and conclusions
The complaint which has been investigated is that the Board failed to diagnose and treat Mr C's haematoma adequately, resulting in a prolonged hospital admittance (not upheld).
Redress and recommendations
The Ombudsman recommends that the Board:
- (i) review the pre-operative planning for dental patients with pre-existing disease and/or drug history to ensure that effective treatment plans are available in the event of post-operative complications. This should include a review of their post-operative information packs given to patients to ensure that they provide detailed instructions to patients on Warfarin therapy; and
- (ii) apologise to Mr C for their failure to carry out effective pain control.
The Board have accepted the recommendations and will act on them accordingly.