Overview
The complainant (Mr C) did not consider that Lothian NHS Board (the Board) had taken seriously, or learnt from, the death of his 46-year-old son (Mr A).
Specific complaint and conclusion
The complaint which has been investigated is that the Board's response to Mr A's death was inadequate (upheld).
Redress and recommendations
The Ombudsman recommends that the Board:
- (i) apologise to Mr C for: the failure to provide convincing evidence of a thorough investigation, with lessons learnt; the impression at various times that no action would be taken in response to his son's death; the poor quality of some of the complaint responses; and the delay in giving him a definitive response to a complaint meeting and letter of early 2005; and
- (ii) ensure that, where appropriate, this investigation drives further service improvement in future complaints.