Mrs C complained about the care and treatment her late mother, Mrs A, received from Swansea Bay University Health Board (“the First Health Board”) between 18 and 22 March 2023. Her concerns include the delay in administering regular medication to Mrs A prior to the Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (“TAVI” – a procedure that improves the blood flow in the heart by replacing an aortic valve) procedure between 18 and 22 March 2023. She questioned whether Mrs A was fit enough to undergo a TAVI procedure on 22 March 2023 and if the TAVI contributed to Mrs A developing pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas).
Mrs C also complained about the care and treatment Mrs A received from Hywel Dda University Health Board (“the Second Health Board”) and whether there was a missed opportunity to treat Mrs A for sepsis (a serious life-threatening reaction to an infection) during her hospital admission between 28 April 2023 and 6 May 2023.
The Ombudsman’s investigation in relation to the First Health Board found that, whilst there was a delay in administering medication to Mrs A, she was appropriately medicated and any delays did not materially affect her care. The investigation also found that Mrs A was fit enough to undergo the TAVI procedure and that there was no causal link between the TAVI procedure and the development of Mrs A’s pancreatitis. Mrs C’s complaint was not upheld.
With regard to the Second Health Board, the investigation found that there was no evidence of a missed opportunity to treat Mrs A for sepsis between 28 April and 6 May 2023. The Ombudsman did not uphold this complaint.
