Mr D complained about the quality of the medical and nursing care he received as an inpatient at the Trust in 2013. He was also unhappy about how the Trust handled his complaint.
What happened
Mr D went to hospital expecting to have a non–invasive treatment for kidney stones. However, staff carried out a different, more invasive procedure. Mr D felt that the medical treatment he received caused long–standing physical problems. He also complained about his nursing care, especially the removal and reinsertion of catheters, when he was recuperating from surgery.
Mr D also said that Trust representatives were unprepared when they went to a complaint resolution meeting with him.
What we found
We partly upheld this complaint. Mr D's kidney stone treatment was reasonable and in line with accepted practice.
There were serious shortcomings in how staff removed a catheter and in the way they monitored his health after his operation. There were shortcomings in how staff monitored Mr D's blood pressure because they did not follow the Trust's own guidelines.
Trust staff were unprepared when they went to a resolution meeting with Mr D.
Putting it right
The Trust apologised to Mr D for the shortcomings outlined in our investigation.
It drew up plans to improve training in removing catheters from male patients and to improve monitoring of patients' blood pressure. It also committed to making sure that staff who go to meetings with complainants are properly prepared.
Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust
West Midlands
Replied with inaccurate or incomplete information
Apology
Recommendation to learn lessons or draw up an action plan