Ms C complained that although she asked about transport well in advance, staff at first refused to arrange transport for her to return home after she was discharged from hospital. Furthermore, Ms C complained that staff were rude during the incident.
What happened
Ms C was admitted to hospital in the spring of 2012 for an operation. Four days later she was declared medically fit for discharge and she asked for transport home (over 100 miles away). She said that the surgeon had agreed this when she met him before the operation. The Trust initially said no and told Ms C that she would have to find her own way home or would be discharged to a homeless shelter. It was later agreed that she was not fit to take public transport or to be sent to a homeless shelter. A taxi was arranged and took Ms C home.
What we found
There were a number of points when communication could have been better. As a result, the nursing staff did not know that Ms C expected to be given transport home.
We could see that this put them in a difficult position. While this was stressful for the nursing staff, they failed to treat Ms C in a sensitive and dignified manner. There were also some shortcomings in the way that the Trust handled Ms C's complaint.
Putting it right
The Trust apologised to Ms C for the failings we identified. It acknowledged: shortcomings in communication in Ms C's appointments before the operation; failure to discuss discharge arrangements with Ms C before her discharge; mishandling of discussions with Ms C on the day of discharge, in particular it was inappropriate to suggest a discharge to a shelter before matters could be discussed with a doctor. The Trust also acknowledged that it could have handled the complaint in a more effective and customer-focused way.
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Cambridgeshire
Did not apologise properly or do enough to put things right
Did not involve complainant adequately in the process
Not applicable