BBCA woman was mistakenly sent home from hospital with a fractured skull after being hit by a cyclist, a watchdog investigation has found.
The university student, who was 18 at the time he was hit by a car in Exeter in December 2022, suffered injuries including a three-centimeter cut on his forehead, facial swelling, loose and chipped teeth and neck pain and spent three hours in Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.
An investigation by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) found that doctors failed to properly diagnose her and sent her home with an undiagnosed skull fracture.
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, offered its “sincere apologies to this patient and her family”.
“My face is swollen”
The woman, whose name has not been released, was released from hospital on a verbal injury advisory after doctors stitched up a cut on her head.
The next day she felt nauseous, her head, neck and shoulder pain were still there and her face was swollen.
Her parents took her to the Royal South Hampshire Hospital in Southampton, who referred her to the emergency department at Southampton University NHS Foundation Trust.
X-rays and a CT scan there revealed a fracture to the front of his skull, broken ribs and extensive bruising to his face.
“Danger signs that were overlooked”
Her family was reportedly “shocked and angry” when they found out the diagnosis was incorrect.
“Because she’s a young person coming into the hospital, it felt like there was no one really advocating for her,” the patient’s mother said.
“They missed major red flags.”
She said her daughter is “still suffering from the effects of her treatment,” is “very anxious,” and that the experience is affecting her daughter’s grades.
PHSO said patients should have received written, and not just verbal, advice on what to do if their symptoms worsened after being discharged from hospital.
Rebecca Hilsenrath, from PHSO, said it was “particularly important” that head injuries were “properly assessed and treated in a timely manner”.
“This patient was exhibiting a range of symptoms from his injuries but was not treated seriously, which is extremely disappointing,” she said.
“We sincerely apologise for any failings in the care received by the patient and her family,” the trust said in a statement.
“Providing excellent patient care across all our services is of paramount importance to us and we have learned from this incident and are working to meet PHSO’s recommendations to ensure something like this does not happen again.”
