A nursing home resident with Asperger’s syndrome suffered permanent damage after staff left him with an erection for four days, according to a report.
The man, identified only as Y, was later diagnosed with priapism, a painful and long-lasting erection, when he was eventually taken to hospital.
NHS guidelines say if someone gets an erection that lasts more than two hours to call 999 or go to an emergency room as immediate treatment is needed to avoid permanent tissue damage.
The hospital told the man’s mother that he needed surgery and that he had suffered permanent damage, the local government and social welfare ombudsman said.
A report released by the Ombudsman said doctors told the woman that her son had been left behind ‘for too long’ and that she should not wait more than four hours before medical help was called.
She claimed staff at the care home run by Barnsley Council did nothing about his erection for four days.
The mother said he complained of penile pain when he visited her at home and reported it to the nursing home when he returned.
Records show the nursing home noticed this and contacted a general practitioner the next day, who suspected a possible urine infection.
The report said staff helped the man shower the next day when there was “no sign” of him complaining of further pain.
The next day, logs showed the man had an erection by 10am and he later told staff that he had an erection all day, but it “kept coming off.”
At 21:00 that evening, staff called 911 as the man was experiencing pain in his penis and were told to take him to the emergency room, where he was treated.
However, the Ombudsman found no fault with the house’s handling of the incident.
The council’s safety team investigated the incident and found no evidence of negligence, the report added.
Barnsley Council agreed to apologize to the man’s mother and pay £200 to “recognise the distress caused”, reports Metro.
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