NHS Grampian has been told to apologise to a patient after a doctor removed her ovaries without getting proper consent.

A complaint from the patient, referred to as Ms C, was upheld by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO).

She had attended at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary suffering from an ovarian cyst.

A referral was made for it to be drained and possibly removed but a surgeon later decided that removing both ovaries altogether was more in line with guidelines produced by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

When Ms C arrived at the hospital for her procedure, she was told of the change of plan and after some discussion the operation went ahead.

In its report on the matter, the ombudsman stated: "Ms C subsequently complained that consent was not properly obtained and that inappropriate treatment had been provided in light of her existing conditions, particularly fibromyalgia (a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body).

"After taking independent advice from one of our advisers, who is a consultant gynaecologist, we upheld Ms C's complaint about consent.

"We found that the guidelines recommended removal of both ovaries in most cases but said that this should be determined by the wishes of the patient.

"The adviser considered that as it had been clear that Ms C had concerns, removal of just the affected ovary should have been discussed as a compromise, but this did not happen.

"We considered that Ms C should have been offered this information as part of the consent process. The adviser also highlighted concerns about the consent procedure."

The SPSO recommended that NHS Grampian issue Ms C with an apology for the failure to advise her of the option of removing the affected ovary only and review the process for obtaining consent.