Decision Report 201907859

Summary

C, a Patient Advice and Support Service adviser, brought the complaint on behalf of their client (B) with regard to the care and treatment provided to B’s late spouse (A). A had a compromised immune system and received regular immunoglobulin therapy (a blood-based treatment to increase the number of antibodies in the immune system). A was admitted to hospital with a high temperature and was found to have acute leukaemia. They deteriorated over several weeks and died a short time later. C complained about a number of aspects of A’s care and treatment including a change in their immunoglobulin brand; that A’s reason for admission to hospital was not clearly communicated; that A had cellulitis (a type of skin infection) in their hand; and that A being incorrectly administered a diuretic (a type of medication which increases the passing of urine) indirectly led to their death.

We took independent advice from a consultant haematologist (a specialist in diseases of the blood and bone marrow). We found that the care and treatment provided to A was reasonable. Specifically, we found that there was no indication the change in immunoglobulin brand caused A’s deterioration; there were several terms that could have been used to describe the reason for A’s admission to hospital and the board’s actions in this regard were not unreasonable; it did not appear that A had cellulitis in their hand; and the incorrect administration of a diuretic was not a cause or contributor to A’s death.

Therefore, we did not uphold C’s complaint. However, we noted some feedback for the board with regard to communication about A’s prognosis.