NHS Ayrshire & Arran took eight months to respond in full to a complaint made against them, it has been revealed.
The lengthy wait was experienced by a vulnerable patient who initially complained about treatment provided by the board’s community eating disorder service, based in Irvine.
Although the initial complaint about the time taken to diagnose the patient’s condition wasn’t upheld, the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) did criticise the health board over the delay in their handling of the complaint.
In an investigation, the SPSO told how the patient, only known as ‘C’, complained about a delay to diagnose them and about the various referrals among clinicians involved in their care.
The SPSO said: “C said that their mental health had deteriorated during the treatment period; their eating disorder was exacerbated and they had suicidal thoughts.
“We took independent advice and found that C presented with a number of mental health issues and had been managed at times by different teams within the mental health service.
“Although there was a period during which there was a lack of clarity regarding the overall management of care, generally we considered C’s treatment to be reasonable and consistent with good practice.
“We found that the assessment of complex psychiatric presentations, where there is a history of multiple mental health issues, can be prolonged, with diagnosis and treatment modified, or refined over time.
“Therefore, we did not uphold this aspect of C’s complaint.”
However, the SPSO said they did find “short-comings.”
The organisation said: “We provided feedback to the board on short-comings identified: failure to obtain permission for a student to attend an assessment, which caused C distress and anxiety, and poor communication in relation to treatment aims.”
The report goes on: “C also complained about the board’s handling of their complaint.
“When the board first responded to the complaint they failed to address most of the questions.
“C’s MSP became involved and the board then responded in full around eight months after C complained.
“We were critical of the board’s complaints handling, noting that the matters the patient complained about were of a serious and sensitive nature and the delays in responding added to their distress.
“Although much of the delay in preparing the response was outwith the complaints team’s control, we found that they could have kept the patient more regularly updated. We upheld this aspect of C’s complaint.”
Caroline Cameron, North Ayrshire health & social care director, said: “I am sorry that we did not meet the high standards of care we strive for in NHS Ayrshire and Arran for this patient.
“In addition to our formal apology, I can advise that we have fully accepted all the recommendations in the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) report.
“We have addressed the issues highlighted and made the appropriate improvements, ensuring complaints are handled, and record-keeping is completed in line with the model complaints handling procedure to avoid potential delay and the impact this may have.”
She added: “In order to ensure learning across the organisation, we will share the findings from the report with staff and assurance will be provided to our healthcare governance committee that the necessary actions have been completed.”
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