Decision report 201100277

Summary
Ms C, an advice worker, complained on behalf of Mrs A, whose husband (Mr A) was admitted to hospital in November 2009 due to depression and suicidal feelings. While he was in hospital, Mrs A and her husband found the staff's attitude to be poor. They also felt that there was a lack of support around the time of his discharge home. Some ten months later, Mr A was diagnosed with a rectal tumour. Ms C complained that staff at the hospital did not carry out investigations when Mr A advised them of rectal bleeding and changed bowel habits during his admission.

We found that there was insufficient evidence to confirm whether Mr A raised these concerns with staff during his stay. We were concerned, however, with the arrangements for his discharge and follow-up treatment and found that additional support to carry out day-to-day tasks could have been provided during his stay.

Recommendation
We recommended that the board:
• review their handling of Mr A's discharge and take steps to ensure future compliance with the guidance in the Scottish Government's Best Practice Template - 'Admission, Transfer and Discharge Protocol for hospital patients in Scotland.'