Decision Report 201707569

Summary

Mr C, who is an MSP, complained on behalf of his constituent (Mr B). Mr C complained that the board failed to take reasonable care of Mr B's wife (Mrs A)'s clothing when she was a patient at Royal Alexandra Hospital, and that this resulted in Mrs A's clothing going missing. Mr C also complained that the board did not handle Mr B's claim to be reimbursed for the loss of Mrs A's clothing in line with their own policy.

We took independent advice from a nursing adviser. We found that nursing staff were not responsible for washing patients' clothing. We also found that ward staff were not responsible for marking patients' clothing, and we did not find any evidence that staff said that they would mark Mrs A's clothing as hers. Therefore, we did not find evidence that the board had failed to take reasonable care of Mrs  A's clothing, and we did not uphold this aspect of the complaint.

Regarding Mr B's claim for reimbursement, we found that the claim was handled in line with the board's policy and guidance.