NHS Grampian to apologise over baby monitoring

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NHS Grampian has been told to apologise after a health visitor failed to properly monitor the health of a baby with a brain condition.

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman has also told the health board to improve training for staff.

The ombudsman upheld the complaint on behalf of a mother who complained about the monitoring of her baby daughter.

The infant had had hydrocephalus, a condition which sees an abnormal build-up of fluid on the brain.

An independent expert said there were failures in recording and interpreting the baby girl's head circumference, resulting in missed opportunities to record her steep growth rate and refer her for further investigation.

The ombudsman recommended that NHS Grampian provide training to staff on the guidance in place for monitoring, recording and analysing growth measurements, and put in place better clinical supervision and support for health visitors.

It also asked NHS Grampian to apologise to the baby's family.

NHS Grampian said it fully accepted the findings and had implemented the recommendations.