The family of a Scots left bleeding for nine days and permanently incontinent after a bladder check have received and apology from health bosses.
Known as A, the patient, had a cystoscopy at Borders General Hospital, Scottish Borders.
The procedure, a bladder examination where a narrow, telescopic camera, left them susceptible to urinary infections that are ongoing.
Left with life-altering consequences, their family complained to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO).
NHS chiefs were forced to apologise after a probe found they had no urology specialists available over A's procedure.
As a result, there was a delay in spotting their symptoms.
The patient's family said while health chiefs apologised, they provided little explanation as to what happened or any potential treatment options that may have been available.
An investigation by the SPSO said: "We found that A's medical history meant that they were at an increased risk of complications such as bleeding and incontinence following surgery.
"We were critical of the board for a lack of evidence of A being made aware of these risks when consenting to the surgery.
"We also found that, whilst the board were aware that there would be no specialist urological support available within the hospital following A's surgery, this was not communicated to A.
"Support was available from a neighbouring health board, however, we found that the board's staff did not seek their input as early as they could have when A began to show signs of postoperative complications.
"We also found that there was a lack of accurate record-keeping with regard to A's care at Borders General Hospital and upheld this aspect of the complaint."
The watchdog ordered NHS Borders to apologise to the patient's family.
They also said the hospital should conduct a review of the information provided to patients prior to surgery and ensure they are fully informed before giving their consent.
A spokesperson for NHS Borders said: "The SPSO findings highlighted that some aspects of care that A received were unacceptable.
"We have accepted the recommendations identified in full and changes have been made so that similar experiences are avoided in the future.
"We are very sorry for the upset caused and have offered a full apology."
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