Health chiefs to apologise to man over standard of his care

Highland Hospital rapped for failing to provide Mr C with adequate treatment

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Highland health chiefs have been ordered to apologise to a man for failing to provide him with adequate treatment for appendicitis.

Scottish Public Services Ombudsman Jim Martin said the standard of care provided to the man, identified only as Mr C, in the accident and emergency department of Campbeltown Hospital, fell below what he was entitled to expect.

The ombudsman upheld the complaint of Mr C about his treatment on several visits to the hospital in August 2008.

Mr C first attended the hospital on August 24, at 7.45pm with symptoms relating to a cut foot, but no records of abdominal pain or other symptoms were recorded.

He returned at 10.10pm where a nurse recorded his symptoms of vomiting and abdominal pain and he was given an injection to combat the nausea and then discharged.

Mr C returned on August 26 at 9am with symptoms of nausea and back pain, where he was seen by a nurse and doctor and was noted of having a high temperature and an abnormally fast pulse.

Mr C says the nurse and doctor were “rude, uncaring and unprofessional towards him at this time and did not listen to his concerns”.

Mr C went to his GP that evening when his abdominal pain got worse and he was sent to a larger hospital where his appendix was removed.

The ombudsman’s report stated: “The actual lack of documentation of Mr C’s history, failure to undertake a full examination or relevant investigations as well as not explaining Mr C’s symptoms or abnormal vital signs all led to a level of clinical management which was below the standard expected of a doctor in A&E, irrespective of attitude present.”

NHS Highland board acknowledged that the standard of note-taking was “inadequate” and have undertaken a number of actions.

Pain management guidelines have been implemented within A&E and will be audited before next month, common abdominal emergency guidelines will be introduced soon and other areas for review have been found including staff skill levels for each shift, triage systems and training and supervision of staff.

The ombudsman said that given the actions already proposed and undertaken he makes no further clinical recommendations. He did, however, recommend the NHS Highland board apologise to Mr C in writing.