Decision Report 201406339

Summary

Mrs C complained about the care and treatment her husband (Mr C) received at University Hospital Ayr following his admission with acute abdominal pain. In particular, she was aggrieved that a CT scan (computerised tomography - a scan that uses x-rays and a computer to create detailed images of the inside of the body) had not been carried out when he was first admitted to hospital. She complained that the delay in carrying out investigations and treatment had caused Mr C unnecessary suffering for three days.

During our investigation, we took independent advice from a consultant general surgeon. We found that the treatment given to Mr C was reasonable and appropriate. The advice we received was that there had been no delay in diagnosing and starting appropriate treatment, and there was no indication that a CT scan should have been carried out earlier than day three of Mr C's admission. Our adviser was satisfied that the CT scan and subsequent surgery which both took place on day three of Mr C's admission to hospital were carried out within a reasonable timeframe.