SPSO (Scottish Public Services Ombudsman) Not Upheld

Lanarkshire NHS Board

202108771 · Health › Clinical treatment / diagnosis · Decision date: 01 July 2023 · View NHS Lanarkshire scorecard

Full Decision

Summary

C complained on behalf of their late parent (A) that the board unreasonably failed to diagnose A’s cancer, from which they later died.

We took independent advice from a respiratory consultant adviser. We found that clinical management from the respiratory team carried out appropriate investigations.

We found that there was a failure in communication of the CT results to A and their family and that there was also a delay in intervention following the abnormal CT report, that a biopsy could have been carried out earlier, and that there was no need to await review at an MDT.

On balance, we found that there was no evidence of an unreasonable delay in diagnosing cancer, therefore we did not uphold this complaint.

Related reading

View Decision Report 202108771 as a PDF (24.13 KB) Updated: July 19, 2023