Overview
The complainant (Mr C) raised a number of concerns about the treatment which his late wife (Mrs C) received when she attended Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (the Hospital) as a day patient on 18 March 2010. Mrs C fell and fractured her hip while receiving chemotherapy treatment but the fracture was not identified on x-ray and she was discharged home. Mrs C received a telephone call from a consultant oncologist at the Hospital (the Consultant) on 22 March 2010 and was told that she had to return to hospital as the fracture had been identified when he had reviewed the x-ray. Mrs C was admitted to the Hospital that day but her condition deteriorated and she died on 26 March 2010.
Specific complaint and conclusions
The complaint which has been investigated is that the care and treatment which Mrs C received at the Hospital on 18 March 2010 was inadequate (upheld).
Redress and recommendations
The Ombudsman recommends that the Board:
- (i) bring this report to the attention of the On-call doctor's clinical supervisor and determine whether there is a training requirement for the interpreting of x-rays; and
- (ii) formally apologise to Mr C for the On-call doctor's failure to correctly interpret the x-ray on 18 March 2010.
The Board have accepted the recommendations and will act on them accordingly.