NHS board says sorry for patient paperwork mistakes

A PATIENT at Ninewells Hospital died after being given a do not resuscitate (DNR) order despite family members claiming they did not authorise it.

A watchdog has told NHS Tayside to apologise to the family concerned for “record-keeping” errors.

The mistake meant conversations about putting in place the DNR were not recorded and the health board’s documents did not show any disagreement by the family at the time.

A DNR is a decision taken that means a healthcare professional is not required to resuscitate the patient if their heart or breathing stops.

In an investigation into the situation, the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) found the family believed the decision to grant a DNR order was taken “incorrectly”.

The report does not say what caused the patient’s death, or if resuscitation could have prevented it.

The ombudsman also found the form was only signed by one clinician, rather than the two required, and ordered the health board to ensure it always documents conversations about DNRs.

The error has been criticised by Dundee siblings Catriona Black and Rod McKay, who are calling on stricter controls over DNR use after they found a form “stuffed inside” their mother’s bag when she was discharged from Ninewells in May last year.

She said the decision by the SPSO in this latest case could lead to further hospital deaths being investigated.

She said: “As we now know, what happened to mum and this other person in Ninewells were not isolated – or even a regional occurrence – they were widespread throughout Scotland and indeed the UK.”

A spokesperson for NHS Tayside said: “We accept all of the recommendations and have already apologised to the family.

“We are working to address the remaining recommendations.”