Mrs B questioned whether Mr B received adequate care and treatment from the Health Board in respect of his admission to hospital between 3 and 30 September 2022. Specifically, she queried whether there was a delay in an oncology review.
The investigation found that there was a delay in Mr B’s oncology review, caused by a delayed biopsy of his abnormal tissue. This failure was amplified by miscommunication regarding a review date and a scale used to measure the functional status of cancer patients was miscalculated, which made Mr B’s treatment pathway less clear than it might have been.
The complaint was upheld.
The Health Board agreed to the Ombudsman’s recommendations to apologise to Mrs B and her family, to review its approach to carrying out biopsies on patients with Urgent Suspected Cancer and to identify learning points to be shared with all relevant staff. The Health Board also agreed to provide refresher training to relevant staff on a tool to measure a patient’s functional status and ability to perform daily activities.