Overview
The complainant (Mr C) raised a number of concerns about the care and treatment provided to his mother-in-law (Mrs A) by Borders NHS Board (the Board) and the communication between health care professionals who treated Mrs A and with Mrs A's family. He also raised concerns about the way the Board handled his complaint.
Specific complaints and conclusions
The complaints which have been investigated are that the Board failed to:
- (a) provide reasonable care and treatment to Mrs A leading up to her fall on 28 February 2009 and following her operation on 1 March 2009 to repair her hip (upheld);
- (b) ensure reasonable communication between the health care professionals who treated Mrs A and with Mrs A's family (upheld);and
- (c) deal with Mr C's complaint according to the NHS Complaints Procedure (upheld).
Redress and recommendations
The Ombudsman recommends that the Board:
- (i) provide evidence that they have audited staff awareness of the Falls Prevention Strategy and Bed Rail Policy; the knowledge and skills of staff relevant to their effective implementation; and take action to address any knowledge and skill gaps identified by the audit;
- (ii) consider amending the Falls Prevention Strategy and Bed Rail Policy in light of the information in this report;
- (iii) ensure staff are aware of the failures identified in this report in meeting the needs of patients with dementia and to implement training to address this, particularly in rehabilitative care and communication; and
- (iv) apologise to Mr C for the failures identified in this report.
The Board have accepted the recommendations and will act on them accordingly.