NHS Ayrshire and Arran left a patient waiting eight months for a response to a complaint.

The complaint was about treatment provided by the board’s community eating disorder service in Irvine.

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) ruled that there were not grounds to uphold the patient’s original complaint about a perceived delay in diagnosis, they did however criticise the health board over the delay in their handling of the complaint.

The SPSO have published a decision report on the complaint. The patient, referred to as ‘C’ is said to have complained of the amount of time it took to diagnose them and about the various referrals among clinicians involved in their care.

The report 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 from a consultant psychiatrist. We 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 C’s 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.”

It continues: “C also complained about the board’s handling of their complaint.

“When the board first responded to C’s complaint they failed to address most of C’s 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 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 C more regularly updated. We upheld this aspect of C’s complaint.

Caroline Cameron, North Ayrshire Health & Social Care Director said: “I am so sorry that we did not meet the high standards of care we strive for in NHS Ayrshire & Arran for this patient. In addition to our formal apology to C, I can advise that we have fully accepted all the recommendations in the 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.

“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.”