Nurses did not consider the needs of learning disabled patient in hospital

What happened

Mr F had Down's syndrome and dementia. His mother had been his full–time carer throughout his life. He had a series of seizures and was diagnosed with epilepsy. Mr F's GP referred him to the Trust because of concerns that he was dehydrated. While he was in hospital, Mr F suffered a critical illness but gradually improved and was discharged home. He died the following year from an unrelated illness.

Mr F's mother complained about several aspects of the care her son received when he was in hospital. She was also unhappy about how the Trust handled her complaint.

What we found

There were areas of Mr F's nursing care where staff did not properly consider his rights under disability discrimination law. In planning and providing care for Mr F, staff at the Trust did not have proper regard for its obligations to him. Nurses did not follow established good practice: they were aware that Mr F was at high risk of falling and they also failed to assess his continence needs and ability to eat and drink. The Trust was not open, accountable or customer–focused in how it handled the complaint.

Mr F's mother suffered distress when she witnessed some of the poor care, and the poor complaint handling made this worse.

Putting it right

The Trust acknowledged and apologised for the failings and the injustice Mr F's mother suffered. It paid her £1,000 compensation and agreed to draw up plans to demonstrate learning from the complaint.