Overview
The complainant (Mr C) attended the Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Department of the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (the Hospital) on numerous occasions following referral by his GP in June 2010. During this period his symptoms, which included bleeding from the throat, worsened. After each examination, he was discharged and re-referred to his GP. On 28 September 2011, he was diagnosed at the ENT Department with throat cancer (a right tonsil mass).
Specific complaint and conclusion
The complaint which has been investigated is that staff at the ENT Department failed to investigate Mr C’s symptoms appropriately and this led to a delayed diagnosis of stage 2 cancer of the right tonsil (upheld).
Redress and recommendations
The Ombudsman recommends that the Board:
(i) apologise to Mr C for the failings identified;
(ii) carry out a Serious Clinical Incident Review; and
(iii) review the procedure for GP referrals to ensure that where there have been repeated referrals this is taken into account by ENT clinicians when assessing and examining the patient.
The Board have accepted the recommendations and will act on them accordingly.