Ms A complained about the care and treatment received by her late husband while admitted to hospital (“the Hospital”). Ms A said that while at the Hospital her husband did not receive appropriate hygiene care and that the communication from the Hospital regarding her husband’s deterioration was poor. Ms A also questioned why her husband had not been diagnosed with sepsis sooner and asked whether an earlier diagnosis would have had an effect on his outcome.
The Ombudsman found that Ms A had received a complaint response from Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (“the Health Board”) but that the Health Board had not responded to additional concerns that
Ms A had raised following receipt of that response. The Ombudsman said this caused frustration to Ms A and decided to settle the complaint without an investigation.
The Ombudsman sought and gained the Health Boards agreement to, within 2 weeks:
a) Set a date to hold a meeting with Ms A.
Within 1 month of the meeting referred to at a) above, the Health Board will:
b) Issue a further formal complaint response