The patient, named only as Mrs C, was admitted to Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary for pelvic floor repair.
But just hours before her procedure, surgeons instead decided to carry out a hysterectomy – the removal of her womb – in a much larger operation.
Now the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) has told the NHS they should have discussed the possibility of the hysterectomy with her earlier.
As a result of their findings and recommendations, NHS Dumfries and Galloway chief executive Jeff Ace has written to the woman to apologise.
In their decision published online, the SPSO said: “We took independent advice from one of our medical advisers, who is an experienced consultant gynaecologist. We found that it was unreasonable that Mrs C was only told about the possibility of such a significant procedure on the day of the surgery and that she was given little time to consider this.
“We considered that Mrs C should have been told about the possibility that she needed a vaginal hysterectomy at an earlier stage.”
However, the ombudsman said it was an appropriate procedure in her case and, after investigations, they also dismissed further complaints from the patient about pain relief and her medical notes.
The SPSO has now called for evidence that steps are taken locally to ensure the possibility of hysterectomies are discussed at an early stage in similar future cases.
Responding, an NHS spokeswoman yesterday said: “Jeff Ace has written and apologised to this lady for her experience as it was not the standard that he would wish.
“The action plan for the actions requested by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman has also been completed to ensure that we maximise the learning from her experience.”
