An Ayrshire doctor gave a child a morphine overdose by injecting them with a full syringe.

A parent complained to NHS Ayrshire and Arran after their kid received the potentially dangerous drug.

The healthboard also failed to carry out proper observations even after the error was identified.

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) found that the observations were not clearly documented in the child's clinical records.

The SPSO report found that the child 'had received an overdose of morphine as a result of a doctor failing to discard excess morphine from a syringe and giving them the full syringe'.

According to the NHS, taking too much morphine can be dangerous.

An accidental overdose can make you may feel very sleepy, sick or dizzy, and may also make it difficult to breathe. In serious cases you can become unconscious and may need emergency treatment in hospital.

The amount of morphine that can lead to an overdose varies from person to person.

The child's parent also said that NHS Ayrshire and Arran didn't respond to their complaint properly.

SPSO found that there was an 'unreasonable delay' in the responding and that there was no evidence that the parent had been kept updated.

NHS Ayrshire and Arran has already apologised for these failings but SPSO has made recommendations for changes 'to put things right in future'.

The SPSO, the final stage for complaints about public services in Scotland, said: "The board should review their guidelines for administration of intravenous medication in light of the findings of this investigation and ensure there are explicit instructions on how to deal with situations where only part of the prepared dose is to be administered."

The ombudsman also said that patient monitoring and observations should be appropriately recorded in their medical records.

With regards to complaints, it was recommended that when an investigation takes longer than 20 working days, the healthboard should inform the complainant, agree revised time limits and keep them updated on progress.

SPSO has asked NHS Ayrshire and Arran to provide them with evidence that they have implemented these recommendations.

Joanne Edwards, director of acute services at NHS Ayrshire and Arran, said: "In addition to our formal apology to the family of child A, I can advise that we have fully accepted all the recommendations in the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) report.

"We have addressed the issues highlighted and made the appropriate changes, in terms of reviewing our guidelines for the administration of intravenous medication, the recording of patient monitoring and observations requirements, and complaints handling.

"In order to ensure learning across the organisation, we will share the findings from the report with staff, in particular with those responsible for the operational delivery of the service and with our clinical governance teams."