Hospital bosses have apologised to a woman for not giving her enough chance to decide whether to go ahead with an operation which changed the shape of her nose, leaving her upset.

The patient, identified only as Ms K, underwent surgery in October, 2017, and was upset by the result, leaving her depressed and unwilling to go out in public.

She complained about the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to the Wales Ombudsman, who found that the operation was carried out to an appropriate standard.

“Whilst unfortunate, the complication Ms K suffered was a known risk of the procedure,” he said.

He also found that the initial discussion in March, 2017, about the potential risk was appropriate and Ms K was given a leaflet which also referred to the potential risks.

However, there was no record of any discussion about possible complications on the day of the operation itself and Ms K’s consent was not confirmed on the form.

“This was a lost opportunity for Ms K to weigh up the options and reach an informed decision about whether to go ahead, “ said the Ombudsman.

He upheld the women’s complaint to that extent only and recommended that the Health Board apologise and pay Ms K £500 “to reflect the loss of opportunity”.

ENT surgeons are to be reminded of the importance of confirming consent on the day of surgery and recording it on the form when the original consent was given some time ago.