Decision Report 201405620

Summary

Mrs C suffered a fall when she was on holiday and attended Arran War Memorial Hospital on two occasions over a four day period. The doctors who examined Mrs C on both occasions thought that she had suffered a musculoskeletal injury to her chest and that she had possibly broken a couple of ribs. They prescribed painkillers which did not resolve the pain. Mrs C then returned to her home area where it was found that she had suffered a punctured lung. Mrs C believed that the punctured lung should have been identified by staff at the hospital prior to her having to travel back home. We took independent medical advice which showed that the doctors who treated Mrs C at the hospital provided her with appropriate treatment (painkillers and advised to rest). There was no indication at that time that Mrs C had suffered a punctured lung and there was no requirement to carry out an x-ray. We did not uphold the complaint.