Decision Report 201802161

Summary

Mr C complained about the care and treatment his sister (Miss A) received after she was admitted to Hairmyres Hospital, specifically about the medication prescribed, the standard of communication and the discharge planning. Mr C also complained about the community care, mainly the lack of care plan and the actions of a staff member.

We took independent advice from a consultant psychiatrist and from a mental health nurse. In terms of the hospital care, we found that the medication changes made during Miss A’s hospital admission were both appropriate and consistent, with established and agreed treatment protocols, and that the approach taken was reasonable. We also found that there was evidence to support a reasonable level of communication, and that the discharge planning was appropriate, as Miss A discharged herself voluntarily, and staff had no power to stop this or to detain her. Therefore, we did not uphold this aspect of the complaint.

In terms of the community care, we found that the records did not show that Miss A's risk to herself was underestimated by staff and that the incident which caused her admission to hospital was not predictable. We found that the care planning was reasonable, noting specifically that staff identified Miss A’s health and social-care needs, her goals for care and interventions, and that these were evaluated and updated. Importantly, there was also clear evidence that Miss A was involved in this process. Therefore, we did not uphold this aspect of the complaint.