Summary
Mr C complained about the aftercare and treatment provided to him following his knee surgery. Mr C underwent a full knee replacement and following the surgery he experienced difficulty with bending and positioning his knee, as well as extreme pain. Despite completing physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and intense exercises, the problem did not resolve.
The board acknowledged a rare complication had occurred following Mr C's surgery, however, they consider that there was no undue delay in addressing the stiffness in Mr C's knee and that it was dealt with in a reasonable timescale.
We took independent advice from a consultant orthopaedic surgeon (a medical expert who treats patients with problems in their muscles, bones, joints and other related structures). We found that the aftercare was provided promptly and that there was no unreasonable delay. The board were not provided the opportunity to carry out further investigations or treatment as Mr C chose to seek private treatment. The board acted reasonably by offering a second opinion, however the offer was declined. We did not uphold the complaint.
Related reading
View Decision Report 201805705 as a PDF (24.29 KB) Updated: March 18, 2020