A support worker had complained to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman on behalf of the man, as she felt he had not received the proper standard of care and treatment at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary.
Known only as Miss C in the report published by the watchdog, she complained that his operation was not performed properly, that care of his wound was poor and that he had not been made fully aware of all the risks before surgery.
The ombudsman found that the operation had been carried out to a reasonable standard.
However, he did criticise the health board for not making the man sufficiently aware of all the potential risks before the surgery, upholding that part of the complaint.
They also found that the doctor who examined the man should have contacted the surgeon who had performed the operation on the day that the man returned to the hospital by ambulance.
The report said: “We also took independent advice from a nursing adviser and found evidence of appropriate care of Mr A’s wound following surgery.
“We were critical that a full nursing assessment was not carried out at the time Mr A re-attended hospital.
“However, we did not consider this to have been a failing by the nurses, due to Mr A having been discharged.”
It continued: “We found insufficient evidence to show which risks and complications of surgery had been discussed with Mr A prior to him consenting to the operation.
“We were also critical that the consent form did not include all of the known risks and complications of the surgery. We therefore upheld this aspect of Miss C’s complaint.”
The ombudsman has recommended that the health board apologise to the man, as well as review their consent process to ensure that all risks and complications relevant to surgery have been discussed with patients.
