Decision Report 201605138

Summary

Ms C complained about the care and treatment that her late mother (Mrs A) received at Monklands Hospital. Mrs A was admitted to A&E and was diagnosed with a urine infection. Hospital staff expressed concern over her condition and offered admission to the hospital but Mrs A declined as she thought she only had a urine infection. A week later, as Mrs A's symptoms did not improve, she was seen at home by a doctor. A large mass was identified in her pelvis and there was concern that she may have had a stroke. Mrs A was subsequently admitted to hospital where her stroke diagnosis was confirmed with a scan. Mrs A fell out of bed twice while in the hospital, the second time fracturing her hip which required surgery. After recovering from surgery, she was transferred to another hospital which catered for elderly patients. Mrs A was later discharged and died a few months later.

Ms C complained that Mrs A had not been properly assessed when she was first admitted to A&E and that Mrs A was not given proper rehabilitation support or physiotherapy following her stroke. Ms C was also concerned that the care Mrs A received after her hip fracture was unreasonable. Finally, Ms C complained that communication between the hospital and Mrs A's family was poor.

We took independent advice from a consultant geriatrician, a chartered physiotherapist and a registered nurse. We found that Mrs A's initial assessment had been thorough, and a reasonable diagnosis had been made. We also found that her rehabilitation and physiotherapy had been reasonable but that it had been limited by Mrs A's inability to participate due to her condition. Similarly, her care after she fractured her hip had been appropriate and we found that, although efforts had been made to prevent her fall, it had not been possible to do so. While communication with Mrs A had not always met her and her family's needs, we found that it had been clear and reasonable. For these reasons, we did not uphold Ms C's complaints.