Mr J complained about the Health Board’s actions and communication with him both before and after surgery to address his large recurrent abdominal wall incisional hernia (a protrusion of tissue that forms at the site of a healing surgical scar), a paraesophageal hiatal hernia with partial gastric volvulus (when the lower part of the esophagus, the stomach or other organs move up into the chest) and sleeve gastrectomy (when part of the stomach is separated and removed). In particular, Mr J was unhappy that he was not given pre-operative counselling, nor was he told that he would need to adhere to a lifelong strict vitamin regime.
The Ombudsman found that the pre-operative counselling and post-operative dietetic advice Mr J received was appropriate and met relevant guidelines in place at the time. Mr J was made aware of the proposals put forward by the Health Board to address his complex health concerns and he supported them at all times. The Ombudsman also concluded that Mr J was given sufficient and appropriate dietetic information to manage his life post-operatively.
The complaint was not upheld.
The Ombudsman did find that Mr J did not receive his initial B12 injection following his surgery, when the Dietician service indicated that he should, or that a referral was made to his GP for further B12 injections. However, there was no evidence that any concerns were raised that Mr J had a B12 deficiency. On this basis the Ombudsman was satisfied that these shortcomings did not cause Mr J any injustice.