Failings in communication at rehabilitation hospital

What happened

Ms B was unhappy because when Mr K was transferred from one ward to another, staff supervised her visits, her weekend visits were cancelled and she was no longer involved in Mr K's care, or updated about his progress.

When social workers visited Ms B at home, with a view to reinstating Mr K's home visits, she felt they were treating her with suspicion. She was made to feel uncomfortable in her own home.

What we found

We partly upheld this complaint. The hospital had already recognised that staff treated Ms B with unfounded suspicion, and that staff did not follow procedures when transferring Mr K between wards. This, together with failings in communication, led to a breakdown in trust. As a direct result of this, when social workers visited Ms B at home, the purpose of the visit was lost and Ms B was left feeling upset and distressed.

We could not say that these failings led to a breakdown in Ms B's relationship with Mr K, but we thought that the hospital had not done enough to recognise the impact these events had on her personally.

The hospital had not gone far enough to reassure Ms B that lessons had been learnt from her complaint.

Putting it right

The hospital apologised to Ms B for the upset and distress she suffered as a result of failings already accepted, and paid her £500 in recognition of this.

It also explained what actions it was taking to make sure that relevant policies and procedures are being properly implemented and monitored.