A teenage pedestrian who was knocked over by a bicycle was sent home from hospital with an undiagnosed fractured skull after doctors failed to properly assess her, the Health Ombudsman has found.

The Southampton woman, who is now 20 and wishes to remain anonymous, was hit by a bike while crossing a road in Exeter city centre, where she was studying in December 2022.

A member of the public rushed the then 18-year-old to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, where she spent three hours with injuries including a three-centimetre cut on her forehead, facial swelling, loose and chipped teeth, pain in her neck, head, left hand and left hip, as well as feeling nauseous and lightheaded.

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Doctors glued the cut on her head and she was discharged with only verbal head injury advice.

The following day, after returning home to Southampton, she still felt nauseous, her face was more swollen, and she still had head, neck, and shoulder pain.

The woman’s parents took her to the minor injury unit at the Royal South Hants Hospital and she was immediately referred to A&E at University of Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, where an X-ray and CT scan revealed a fracture to the front of her skull, a broken rib and extensive facial bruising.

Her parents complained to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) on her behalf about the care she received by the hospital in Devon, which was run by Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

The complainant’s mother said: "They missed major red flags and I literally can’t comprehend it.

"I worked for the NHS for nine years, I’m a great advocate of the NHS, and yet I feel my daughter was so let down.

“It is scary that she was discharged not knowing what to do and knowing something didn’t feel right.

“She’s still suffering from the effects of her treatment now. It has affected her grades. She’s very anxious and stressed about things now."

PHSO found failings with how the Trust assessed the complainant’s head injury, and with how advice was given. 

Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has agreed to comply with the Ombudsman’s recommendations, apologising to the complainant, acknowledging failings and producing an action plan for the future.