Inadequate hospital care for patient with dementia

What happened

Trust staff left Mr S, who had dementia, on a trolley in A&E for at least 33 hours before they moved him to an assessment unit. He then stayed in the assessment unit for 42 hours. His wife, Mrs S, complained about the delays and other aspects of his care. She was also dissatisfied with the action the Trust took after the events, which did not reassure her that it had learnt from her complaint.

What we found

Mr S had to wait in both departments for too long, and nurses did not provide an appropriate care plan for him, given his needs. There were also failings in the way nurses communicated with Mr and Mrs S. This was service failure and contributed to Mr S's distress, and caused Mrs S to be upset.

The Trust's responses to the complaint gave no reassurance that the failings would not happen again.

Putting it right

The Trust acknowledged and apologised for its failings and the resulting injustice. It also paid Mrs S £500 compensation. The Trust agreed to explain what action it has taken or proposes to take to ensure that there is learning from what happened to Mr and Mrs S.