SPSO (Scottish Public Services Ombudsman) decision

Fife NHS Board

Decided 1 August 2021 Reference 202003093 Outcome: Not Upheld Sector: Health Category: Clinical treatment / Diagnosis Body on this site: NHS Fife

Themes assigned by this site (AI-generated): Clinical negligence harms learning, Inaccurate and inaccessible patient records

Full decision

Decision (the SPSO's words)

Summary

C complained about the treatment for a leg wound which they had received from a podiatrist (a physician who specialises in the study and medical treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle and lower extremity). C felt that the podiatrist was rough and that they had provided inappropriate treatment as the wound had increased in size. C, who has a history of cardiovascular disease (disorders of the heart) and other health issues, required regular podiatry treatment to treat their toes and feet for ulcers. C began to have concerns about a number of podiatrists who had treated them. In particular, C felt that one podiatrist was irate when they had to wait a time for C to answer the door due to their poor mobility. C also found that the wound appeared to worsen after the podiatrist's care.

We took independent advice from an adviser and found that from a clinical perspective, the treatment provided by the podiatrist was reasonable. There was evidence that informed consent for treatment was obtained from C and that their leg wound was treated in accordance with recognised procedures.

We did not uphold the complaint.

Related reading

View Decision Report 202003093 as a PDF (24.26 KB) Updated: August 18, 2021

From: SPSO (Scottish Public Services Ombudsman), decision 202003093, 1 August 2021