Mr B suffered from heart failure and several other chronic illnesses. He was admitted to hospital after experiencing shortness of breath. He was discharged the next day, but was readmitted that same evening, and died the following day.
What happened
Mr B's son complained that his father was too unwell to be discharged from hospital, and that this led to his death. He was also unhappy that his father was left to get a taxi home by himself, and that no one contacted the family to let them know.
The Trust explained that Mr B was assessed and found to be medically suitable for discharge.
It also said that it was not routine to inform a patient's family when they were returning
home if the patient was able to tell their family themselves.
What we found
Medical records supported the Trust's response that Mr B was suitable for discharge, and we concluded that the discharge was clinically reasonable. We did not uphold this aspect of the complaint.
However, the Trust should have assessed Mr B's social needs before he was sent home to
make sure he could get home safely and had support in place. We upheld this aspect of the complaint.
'May I take this opportunity to personally thank you and the team … for keeping us updated throughout the whole process and for a very informative report.' Mr B's son
Putting it right
The Trust agreed to acknowledge and apologise for not assessing Mr B's social needs, and the distressing impact this had on his family. It also agreed to confirm what action it had taken to make sure that assessments were carried out in the future.
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust
Did not apologise properly or do enough to put things right
Apology
Taking steps to put things right