GP told to apologise after failing to spot 'huge' cyst

A GP has been ordered to apologise to a patient after he failed to spot a "very large" cyst.

The growth, which was about the size of A4 paper, was later discovered on the woman's left ovary area.

She underwent surgery and complained about her treatment by the GP to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman.

It found the doctor, who was based at a medical practice in Dumfries and Galloway, did not carry out reasonable investigations.

The woman, who was referred to as Mrs C in the ombudsman's report, went to her GP after experiencing constant bloating.

He examined her stomach and found there was excess fluid but he said he was not concerned.

Record-keeping

Routine blood tests came back normal.

However when Mrs C's symptoms worsened, she went to a different GP a few weeks later.

The doctor found what she believed to be a cyst on her ovary and it was confirmed by a scan.

When it was removed, the growth was 30cm (12 inches) long and 24cm (nine inches) wide.

The ombudsman criticised the first GP's record-keeping and said he should have sought to rule out ovarian cancer.

It made a series of recommendations, including that the GP should apologise to Mrs C.

A spokeswoman for NHS Dumfries and Galloway said: "The practice has apologised to the patient, and has improved their standard of record keeping - and is committed to maintaining the highest standards of care for their patients."