Watchdog finds failings in woman’s care at Ninewells

Tayside health chiefs have been forced to apologise over their handling of a woman’s care.

A Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) report says a woman had complained about the treatment her mother had received on admission to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.

The woman had complained about the standard of communication and the delay in diagnosing and treating her mother, and she said that her mother had suffered unnecessary pain due to the non-administration of medication. Her mother has since died. The report went on to state the board had accepted there had been a number of failings regarding the patient’s care, relating to a lack of communication within and between departments.

It added: “While the board has already accepted failings in relation to the nursing care provided, the advice we received from the nursing adviser was that there had been other failings by nursing staff.”

The report highlighted the consent process for a procedure to fit a stent, a small tube used to treat narrow or weak arteries, had not followed guidance.

The report said: “We found that there were gaps in nursing care, particularly around the use of the malnutrition universal screening tool, and checking the patient’s food, fluid and nutritional care.”

In reaction to the complaints made, the NHS Tayside board accepted that it had failed to deal with the woman’s complaints in a timely and reasonable manner.

The SPSO made several recommendations, including providing an update on the improvement plan put in place as a result of the complaint, and providing details of the delay in treatment.

It also advised that the board formally apologise for the additional failings identified by the investigation and provide an update on its complaints process.

A spokeswoman for NHS Tayside said: “We have accepted the recommendations and are reacting on them. We have apologised to the family.”