Health board apology after patient's death following hip op
The Ombudsman backed the family's criticism of nursing care as well as the way the complaint was handled by the health board.
But issues raised about the medical care received were not upheld.
READ MORE:
Following an independent review by a nursing adviser and a consultant geriatrician, the Ombudsman identified shortcomings in several areas of nursing care.
These included failures in nutrition, pressure sore care, person-centred care planning, and documentation, all upheld by the Ombudsman.
The medical treatment provided was deemed generally reasonable, and this part of the complaint was not upheld. However, feedback was issued to the board regarding the initiation of oral nutrition supplements, in line with the Scottish Hip Fracture Guidance.
The Ombudsman also found delays in how NHS Ayrshire and Arran responded to the family's complaint and noted that not all concerns raised were fully addressed.
Although the board had acknowledged these issues and taken action to address them, this part of the complaint was also upheld.
The SPSO has asked NHS Ayrshire and Arran to apologise to the family for both the failings in nursing care and the handling of their complaint.
The apology must meet the standards set out in the Ombudsman's guidance.
To prevent similar failings in future, the Ombudsman recommended improvements including:
Timely and accurate assessments for pressure sore risks and care;
Prompt and repeated malnutrition screening with properly completed food charts;
Person-centred care planning with consistent and supporting documentation.
Jennifer Wilson, NHS Ayrshire and Arran nurse director, said: 'I am sorry that we did not meet the high standards of care that we strive for within NHS Ayrshire and Arran for this patient and offer my deepest condolences to their family.
"The board fully accepts the recommendations in the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) report.
"We have issued a formal apology to the family of [the patient] and are working through the recommendations highlighted in the SPSO report.
"To ensure learning across the organisation, we will share the findings from the report with staff and seek assurance from our teams that the necessary actions have been completed.'
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