Source · SPSO (Scottish Public Services Ombudsman)

Dumfries and Galloway NHS Board

SPSO (Scottish Public Services Ombudsman) Not Upheld Reference 201804347 Sector Health Category clinical treatment / diagnosis Decided 01 February 2019

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Full decision

Summary

Mrs C complained about the clinical treatment which she received at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary. She had undergone surgery for a leg fracture and she said she was informed by a consultant that the wrong size of screws had been used to fix the fracture. Mrs C felt that her recovery period following the surgery was too long and this was due to the error with the screws used to hold the fracture.

We took independent advice from an orthopaedic consultant (a specialist in the treatment of diseases and injuries of the musculoskeletal system). We found that the screws which had been used sat slightly differently than would be expected but they were not excessively long. Mrs C had suffered a very significant injury and that would have accounted for her ongoing pain and mobility issues. The screws would have been contributing to the discomfort, however, to a lesser extent than the injury itself. We did not identify any failings in the treatment. Therefore, we did not uphold Mrs C's complaint.

Related reading

View Decision Report 201804347 as a PDF (23.83 KB) Updated: February 20, 2019

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