Failings in care of older patient

What happened

Mrs N's mother, Mrs R, was admitted to hospital with a fractured hip after a fall at home. She had surgery to repair the fracture and stayed in hospital for two and a half months before she was discharged to a nursing home. During her admission to hospital, Mrs R experienced symptoms of a suspected stroke, followed by a confirmed stroke four days later.

Mrs N complained about the timing of her mother's operation; provision of traction; prescription of a blood thinning medication; pressure area care; communication between her and the staff caring for her mother; monitoring of her mother's condition; stroke prevention and care; diabetes management; and record keeping. She also complained about the Trust's response to her complaint.

What we found

We partly upheld this complaint. There were no failings with the timing of Mrs R's operation, provision of traction, prescription of blood thinning medication or pressure area care. There were, however, shortcomings in record keeping, aspects of the Trust's communication with Mrs N, the lack of medical review after suspected stroke symptoms, adherence to the guidance in relation to the administration of medication to manage stroke and diabetes, and the Trust's investigation of Mrs N's complaint.

The failings identified did not affect Mrs R's outcome, but did add to Mrs N's distress.

Putting it right

The Trust apologised to Mrs N for its failings, and paid her £400 compensation.

It also prepared plans to demonstrate how the learning from her and Mrs R's experience could make sure that poor service is not repeated.