Trust delayed performing a scan that would have detected kidney stones

What happened

Mr G complained about a delay in diagnosing kidney stones after he had been admitted to hospital as an emergency. He said that the Trust initially carried out an ultrasound scan, but this did not detect the stones. Staff gave him medication but he began to deteriorate and became extremely unwell. The Trust then performed a CT scan that detected the stones, after which Mr G was promptly treated.

Mr G said that if the Trust had carried out the CT scan at first, the stones would have been picked up and treated. He would have avoided the pain and anxiety he experienced before the Trust carried out the scan.

Mr G was annoyed by the way the Trust responded to his complaint because it did not accept that anything had gone wrong.

What we found

The Trust did not act in line with national guidance, which states that if kidney stones are suspected, as they were in Mr G's case, a CT scan should be carried out within 24 hours to confirm diagnosis. After Mr G's ultrasound came back clear, it was then a further two days before the Trust performed a CT scan.

Although Mr G was treated appropriately in the end, the wait for the CT scan was distressing and frustrating for him. He was also in a great deal of pain before the kidney stones were treated.

Putting it right

The Trust acknowledged what happened, apologised to Mr G, and paid him £250 in light of the distress caused. It prepared an action plan to show what it has learnt from Mr G's complaint, and how it will improve services for other patients in future.