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Case ref:201300528
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Date:September 2013
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Body:Highland NHS Board
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Sector:Health
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Outcome:Upheld, no recommendations
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Subject:clinical treatment / diagnosis
Summary
Mrs C complained about her treatment after a fall, in which she fractured her ankle. She said that she was not recalled to hospital for a follow-up appointment and that because of this staples in her wound were left in for more than two weeks longer than they should have been.
Our investigation upheld Mrs C's complaints. The board had accepted that when Mrs C was discharged from hospital no follow-up appointment was booked for her, so the staples were left in her wound for too long. Mrs C had also contracted a bacterial infection, but after taking advice from one of our medical advisers, we did not establish any clear evidential link between this and the fact that the staples were not removed earlier. As the board had already explained to Mrs C what had happened, and had apologised to her for their mistakes we did not find it necessary to make any recommendations.