Mrs A complained that if her son, Mr B, had been appropriately scanned, assessed and investigated following his hospital admissions in July and August 2023, his brain tumour could have been detected earlier, allowing treatment to start sooner. The investigation specifically focused on whether Mr B’s clinical management between July and September 2023 was of an acceptable standard.
The Ombudsman found that Mr B’s clinical management between July and September 2023 was of an acceptable standard and the complaint was not upheld.
In relation to his ED attendance and admission in July, the Ombudsman found that the investigations carried out during Mr B’s ED attendance were appropriate based on his presentation and in line with national guidance. During his July admission, Mr B’s management was again in line with national guidance and of an acceptable clinical standard, as was the decision to request an outpatient MRI scan and neurology review.
The Health Board had already accepted a shortcoming in that the outpatient MRI referral was not done. However, despite this, Mr B underwent a further MRI scan 4 weeks after he was discharged which was within the recommended timescales.
In considering Mr B’s ED attendance in August and subsequent admission, while there was a short delay in ED triage, the Ombudsman found that this would not have altered Mr B’s management. In terms of his hospital admission, Mr B underwent a number of investigations and scans, and his management followed the key recommendations outlined in national stroke guidelines. Furthermore, when a CT scan in August reported an intracranial hemorrhage with unclear cause, further scans were carried out to determine the cause of Mr B’s hemorrhage, which was clinically appropriate, as was the plan to arrange a follow-up scan in 3 months.