Miss L complained about a pain relief procedure. She was unhappy about the information she received, the consent process, the pain relief, and the needles used during the procedure which she said were bent due to the force used.
What happened
Miss L, who suffers from chronic regional pain syndrome (CRPS) in her lower right leg and foot, was under the care of a consultant at the Trust's pain clinic. Miss L had been given a number of different treatments to help her with her pain but had had little success, so in late summer 2013 the consultant decided to carry out percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (PENS) procedure. This involves inserting a needle probe into the painful area and passing a low voltage electrical current through it, which can provide effective pain relief to some patients.
Miss L says that the procedure caused her a great deal of pain and distress and it subsequently made her condition worse.
What we found
We partly upheld this complaint. There was no evidence that the Trust gave Miss L appropriate information about the procedure and there was no consent form in her records. We could understand how not having appropriate knowledge of what to expect during the procedure may have made her experience more distressing than it would normally have been.
There were no failings in relation to Miss L's other concerns, and we concluded that her treatment was carried out appropriately and in line with established good practice.
Putting it right
The Trust apologised to Miss L and prepared an action plan to prevent the failings we found from happening again.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Greater London
Not applicable
Apology
Recommendation to learn lessons or draw up an action plan