We investigated a complaint brought by Mr A on behalf of his father Mr H which focused on whether it was appropriate to discontinue treatment and monitoring of Mr H on 8 December 2023, and once it was agreed to re-start treatment, whether there was a delay in this being commenced. The investigation also considered whether Mr H received appropriate care and treatment in respect of skin integrity before being admitted to a ward on 11 December.
The Ombudsman did not uphold Mr A’s complaint. The investigation found that although there were some issues in how decisions were communicated with Mr H’s family the decision to discontinue treatment and monitoring of Mr H was appropriate. It was also found that as Mr H made a recovery and was well enough to be discharged from the hospital, that any delay in re-starting treatment did not have a negative impact on Mr H.
The investigation also found that the care received by Mr H in regard to his skin integrity was of an appropriate standard.
However, the Health Board was invited to consider points of learning around General Medical Council (“GMC”) guidance on communicating with a patient’s family members when making decisions for a patient who lacks capacity. The Health Board was also invited to advise staff to record the actual time of administration of medication.