Decision report 201104079

Summary

Mrs C complained about the information and care she received from a hospital after being diagnosed with proctitis (inflammation of the lower part of the bowel). Mrs C was unhappy that she was not told about the risks of developing a more severe form of the disease, and said that the hospital had not monitored her in line with the quality care standards for the healthcare of people with inflammatory bowel disease. The board told Mrs C that they considered her care to have been appropriate and said that she had been given appropriate advice when she was referred to hospital by her GP in 2006 and 2008.

During our investigation we took independent advice from one of our medical advisers, and established that the quality care standards Mrs C referred to were not in fact put in place until 2009. We considered, however, that the results of her investigations and symptoms suggested that she was provided with appropriate care and treatment. The adviser pointed out that progression of inflammatory bowel disease cannot be predicted or, indeed, prevented and that different interventions would not have prevented Mrs C's condition from worsening. We found evidence to support that Mrs C was given advice about her condition and that an information leaflet explaining the risks had been sent to her.