NHS Fife says sorry to family after communication problems

NHS Fife has apologised to a family over the way it dealt with a patient who had given his son responsibility for decisions on his care.

The son, known only as Mr C, complained to the Scottish Ombudsman about the treatment provided to his late father while he was in Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy.

The patient, referred to as Mr A, had given his son power of attorney for his care.

Mr C complained that the board had failed to give his father appropriate treatment for his heart attack and questioned why more invasive treatment had not been considered.

He also complained about a lack of communication regarding his father’s care and treatment.

In its response, NHS Fife accepted that Mr A had lacked capacity to deal with issues, and that there had been failings in its communication with his son.

However, the ombudsman took advice from a consultant geriatrician who said it was reasonable that more invasive treatment was not considered appropriate in this case, given Mr A’s age and pre-existing health condition, and this aspect of the complaint was not upheld.

The consultant said there had been a failure to follow the required adults with incapacity process following Mr A’s admission, since no treatment plan was prepared.

The ombudsman accepted this advice and upheld this part of the complaint, asking NHS Fife to apologise.

Director of nursing Helen Wright said the board accepted it had made mistakes, adding: “We take all instances where care has fallen short of our high standards very seriously.”