Trusts ignored patient's wishes, which led to last six months of life 'wasted just waiting'

What happened

Bedford Hospital NHS Trust diagnosed Mrs C with bladder cancer. It discussed her care with specialists at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust who recommended chemotherapy. Mrs C opted for surgery to remove her bladder. The Cambridge Trust wanted to carry out a procedure so that Mrs C could start chemotherapy before surgery to remove her bladder. The Bedford Trust said this would be of little benefit to Mrs C. Although Mrs C was clear that she wanted her bladder removed, the hospitals failed to agree on a treatment plan. There were then further delays before the surgery to remove her bladder.

Mrs C's condition continued to deteriorate and she later died.

Her family complained about her care and treatment, saying the Trusts did not effectively communicate with their mother about her treatment and the delay in removing her bladder was unreasonable. They said they had not had factually correct answers from the Trusts.

What we found

There was an unacceptable delay in the removal of Mrs C's bladder and doctors failed to listen to Mrs C and respect her choices about her treatment. However, Mrs C's cancer was already so far advanced that the failures we identified would not have affected her prognosis. We also found that there was a failure to refer Mrs C to a community nursing team in a timely way or to provide her with the replacement bags she needed. There were failings in complaint handling in that concerns a doctor raised about the appropriateness of the procedure were not appropriately followed up.

Putting it right

Both Trusts have apologised for their failings. They have agreed to put together action plans that showed they had learnt from their mistakes so that they would not happen again. The Trusts have paid Mrs C's family £1,750 in compensation for the upset and frustration they experienced as a result of the poor care given to their mother.