Mrs A complained about the care and treatment provided by the Health Board to her husband, Mr A, when he underwent day surgery in January 2023. After the procedure, Mr A experienced pain and redness across both buttocks. Blistering developed over the following days, causing pain and discomfort and Mr A was unable to sit or work for some weeks. Mr and Mrs A received conflicting information from health professionals as to how this had occurred.
Mrs A was dissatisfied with Health Boards’ complaint response. The Ombudsman found that the Health Board had undertaken a thorough investigation of the complaint, which involved speaking with most of the staff involved in Mr A’s care. However, the Health Board did not appear to have taken account of the views of one practitioner who had expressed a different view. The complaint response did not fully address the complaint and this caused frustration and uncertainty to Mr and Mrs A.
The Ombudsman decided to settle the complaint without an investigation. She sought and gained the Health Board’s agreement to obtain and consider the views of the practitioner, reconsider the causes of the injuries sustained by Mr A and provide a further, more detailed, complaint response to address the outstanding concerns within 30 working days. The Health Board also agreed to apologise to Mr and Mrs A for the failure to address the concerns when investigating the complaint and providing its response.