Mr R received appropriate clinical care but his family were distressed by failings in nursing care. They also claimed that Mr R was a victim of abuse, neglect and discrimination and that this contributed to his death.
What happened
Mr R was admitted to the Trust through its emergency department having been referred by his GP with a number of symptoms, including possible congestive cardiac failure. After just over two weeks, Mr R died in hospital with the cause recorded as pneumonia.
During numerous meetings with the Trust, Mr R's family complained about the care and treatment he received. They said Mr R received poor nursing care in terms of cleanliness, personal care and medication. They also suggested that Mr R experienced abuse, neglect and discrimination which contributed to his death.
The family also complained about the Trust's handling of their complaints.
What we found
We partly upheld this complaint. The clinical care Mr R received was reasonable and the Trust had properly responded to the issues raised by Mr R's family.
There were failings, however, in the nursing care. The Trust had already acknowledged a number of these failings, apologised for them and explained the action it was taking to put things right. But there were several other failings in nursing care that the Trust had acknowledged but not addressed.
We did not find evidence to support the concerns expressed about Mr R being subject to abuse, neglect or discrimination.
Putting it right
The Trust apologised for not showing how it would address some of the nursing failings that had been identified. It also prepared an action plan to address those issues and shared it with the family.
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Swindon
Apology
Recommendation to learn lessons or draw up an action plan