Miss V complained about the inadequate care and treatment of her son in connection with a potential operation to remove his adenoids. She said that the Trust failed to arrange a follow–up appointment for her son and she also complained about the way it had handled her complaint.
What happened
When Miss V noticed that her two–year–old son had difficulty eating and was snoring at night, she took him to an ear nose and throat (ENT) consultant in spring 2013. Her son was referred to a specialist in ENT surgery and after an initial assessment, he was considered for possible surgery on his adenoids. The adenoids are small pieces of tissue at the back of the nose. The operation did not happen, however, because he had very little adenoid tissue. Miss V's son should have had a follow–up appointment after eight weeks, but, because of an administrative error, the appointment was delayed until several months later. By this time, Miss V's son had developed other medical conditions, including glue ear and speech delay. Miss V complained that the delay in arranging the follow–up appointment for her son had led to him developing the other medical issues.
What we found
We did not uphold this complaint. There was no evidence to suggest that the delay in booking a follow–up appointment resulted in Miss V's son's additional medical conditions. The Trust apologised for the delay and for the anxiety that it had caused. It acknowledged that the delay had been caused by an administrative error by a member of staff. The Trust had identified the staff member, explained the impact of their error and arranged additional training for them. We felt that the Trust's response was an appropriate remedy.
City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
Tyne and Wear
Not applicable
Not applicable