Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Man ‘disfigured’ by surgical operation
The health board was told to say sorry to a patient left with scarring after an op to remove a skin tag.
The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman found surgeons at Ninewells had not warned the man, identified as Mr C, that the operation could leave him with long-lasting issues.
A written notice by the SPSO said Mr C was concerned about the outcome of the operation and the appearance of the resulting scar and he said that he was left with some disfigurement.
It said Mr C complained that the consultant urological surgeon told him before the operation that the appearance of his private parts would improve with surgery and that he was not warned that there was any risk of disfigurement adding: “Mr C also had concerns about the standard of the operation itself, and follow-up care. We took independent advice from an adviser who specialises in urological surgery. “We found failings in the consent process. We found that there was no evidence that Mr C had been warned of the risk of scarring and that the outcome of the surgery may not meet his expectations until the day of the operation.
“We found no evidence to suggest that the standard of the operation was not reasonable and while there were failings in relation to a followup appointment, this was addressed by the board.”
NHS Tayside has apologised to a family whose son died after collapsing in the street twice in one day.
The man, named only as Mr A, was found vomiting blood and was taken to Ninewells Hospital.
Staff treated him for a head injury and he was discharged but, later the same day, he collapsed again and was once more admitted to Ninewells, where he died.
A post-mortem report noted that he had suffered a gastrointestinal haemorrhage — a large bleed into his stomach.
Mr A’s father complained to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman about his son’s treatment, saying that had the bleed been detected during the first visit to hospital then his son may still be alive.
The ombudsman upheld his complaint. A spokeswoman for NHS Tayside said: “We have been in contact with the patient’s father and apologised. Our thoughts remain with the family.”
NHS Tayside has been ordered to apologise to a patient who was left with “disfigured” private parts following an operation.