Ms A complained about the care and treatment her father received from Hywel Dda University Health Board when he was an inpatient in Withybush Hospital prior to his sad death in 2023. Ms A complained that her father was given a dry potassium tablet which should have been dissolved in water, and following this he became unwell.
The Ombudsman acknowledged the Health Board’s position that the incident was not recorded in the medical records, and if it had occurred it would have been documented. However, it was also noted that Ms A had her own contemporaneous diary entries. The Ombudsman decided that whilst it was not possible to determine what had occurred, if the incident had taken place there was potential learning for the Health Board. She decided to settle the complaint without an investigation.
Within 1 month, remind the staff on the ward of the importance of ensuring that the potassium tablets are administered with water and write to Ms A to inform her of this action.