Decision Report 201405055

Summary

Mr A had mental health problems. His mother (Mrs C) complained to us about the care and treatment Mr A received when he attended the Western Infirmary on three occasions after taking overdoses. We took independent advice from a medical adviser, who is a consultant in emergency medicine, and from a psychiatric adviser. We found that the medical care and treatment provided to Mr A when he attended the hospital, along with the care he had received there for his mental health problems, had been reasonable. We did not uphold this aspect of Mrs C's complaint.

Mrs C also complained that staff in the hospital had not treated Mr A with respect and that a member of staff had shouted at him. The notes in the medical records about this specific incident were detailed. However, as always with written records, the exact content of the conversation was impossible to determine and there were differing views of the conversation. There was no clear and objective evidence that a member of staff had shouted at Mr A or that staff had failed to treat him with respect. In the absence of such evidence, we did not uphold this aspect of the complaint.

Finally, Mrs C complained that the follow-up arrangements each time Mr A was discharged from the hospital were unreasonable. We found that Mr A had been physically fit on each occasion that he was discharged, and that the discharge plans in relation to his psychiatric care were reasonable and appropriate. We did not uphold this aspect of Mrs C's complaint.