Grampian NHS Board

Overview
The complainant (Mrs C) raised concerns that there was a delay by clinicians at Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital (the Hospital) in diagnosing that her daughter, (Miss A), who had pneumococcal meningitis in August 2007, was profoundly deaf. Miss A had been reviewed at the Child Hearing Assessment Clinic on a regular basis but it took until January 2010 for the diagnosis to be made.

Specific complaint and conclusion
The complaint which has been investigated is that there was an unreasonable delay in the diagnosis of Miss A's hearing loss (upheld).

Redress and recommendations
The Ombudsman recommends that the Board:

• (i) share the contents of this report with the various clinicians involved in Miss A's care and treatment and consider carrying out Evoked Response Audiometry hearing tests at an earlier stage in children who have suffered meningococcal disease; and
• (ii) apologise to Mrs C for the delay in reaching a definitive diagnosis on Miss A's hearing loss.

The Board have accepted the recommendations and will act on them accordingly.