Ms R complained about the care her late mother, Mrs F, received from the Trust before she died. She felt that her mother's death was avoidable.
Mrs F had a history of ulcerative colitis (inflammation of the colon and rectum), osteoporosis and heart disease. Several months after a routine colonoscopy, she was admitted to hospital with abdominal pain. An emergency operation was carried out to remove part of the colon. Once Mrs F had recovered she was discharged. According to Ms R, staff told her mother to leave the ward within an hour and sent her home without a care package and medication. Mrs F was readmitted to hospital three more times over the next six months and died during the last admission.
Ms R raised several complaints about her mother's initial colonoscopy and about her subsequent admissions to hospital. She felt her mother's death could have been avoided.
What we found
We upheld some parts of Ms R's complaint. Generally Mrs F received appropriate care. However, there were faults in three areas. Mrs F's care needs at home were not considered when she was discharged from her first admission to hospital. Staff did not give her adequate pain relief when she was discharged from hospital on the third occasion. A doctor failed to change the gloves worn between examining Mrs F's stoma site and wound dressing.
We did not find that these failings in any way contributed to Mrs F's death.
Putting it right
The Trust drew up an action plan to address the failings we had identified.
Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust
Portsmouth
Did not apologise properly or do enough to put things right
Recommendation to learn lessons or draw up an action plan