NHSGGC apologises after A&E department missed tear in patient's rotator cuff and sent them home

A health board has been ordered to apologise after an A&E department missed that a patient had torn their rotator cuff and sent them home.

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) received a complaint from the patient’s spouse.

They were initially admitted to A&E after falling from a height and injuring their shoulder.

After an X-ray, the patient was diagnosed with a soft tissue injury to the shoulder and a minor head injury.

The patient was then discharged and advised to use regular pain relief for their shoulder.

The patient was later diagnosed with a rotator cuff injury, which required surgery.

In the complaint, the patient’s spouse said that they should have been diagnosed at A&E and the delay had left them in “significant pain and distress”.

The ombudsman took independent advice from a consultant in emergency medicine.

It was found that the patient was not seen by a senior doctor before discharge and that there were “failings” regarding follow-up and record keeping.

There were also “clear inaccuracies” in the board’s complaint response and “no reflection” on their failings.

The SPSO made a number of recommendations, including that the board apologise to the patient’s spouse.

The watchdog added that patients attending A&E should receive a reasonable standard of care and complaint responses should be clear in recognising failures.

Morag Gardner, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s deputy nurse director for Acute Services, said: “We are sorry that certain aspects of this patient’s care did not meet the standards expected of us and understand that this situation has caused distress.

“Due to patient confidentiality, we are unable to discuss individual cases publicly, however, we have reviewed the report and fully accept the recommendations made regarding both patient care and the complaints process.

“We are committed to working closely with our teams to ensure these improvements are implemented effectively, so that we can provide the best possible care to all our patients.”