HOSPITAL bosses have apologised to a woman for the sub-standard care her brother received and poor communication with his family.

The woman, identified only as Mrs A, complained about the care and management of her brother at Glan Clwyd Hospital in October 2020.

This concerned the fact that the family was not told about his deteriorating condition and about the response from the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board’s handling of her complaint.

The Public Services Ombudsman found that, on the whole, the care the man, identified as Mr B, received was reasonable, but there were instances when the care could have been better, given the severity of his condition.

“For example, lack of daily medical review and senior clinical and cardiology input was unsatisfactory,” he said in his report.

READ MORE:

Rhyl treble dreams ended as Intermediate Challenge Cup cancelled

Abandoned fish recovered and looked after at Towyn sports bar

Ideas revealed for road improvements on Kinmel Bay estate by council

Other areas said to have “fallen below expected standards” included a failure to monitor Mr B’s cannula, which resulted in his developing an avoidable infection, suffering pain and needing treatment with antibiotics.

“The investigation found that the shortcomings in the nursing care were compounded by poor communication and inadequate record-keeping, such as the failure to record fluid intake and output, which meant that it was difficult to know if Mr B received a reasonable standard of nursing care on a daily basis,” said the Ombudsman.

He upheld those aspects of Mrs A’s complaint and about the poor complaint handling.

In addition to calling on the health board to apologise, he recommended that nursing staff on the ward receive training and support on maintaining standards of documentation about risk assessment, care planning and communication.