NHS Grampian has been ordered to apologise to a woman about the care given to her mother.
The woman, known as Ms C, complained that her mother – Mrs A – did not receive “reasonable care and treatment” when she was admitted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary with severe back pain.
She also claimed staff did not perform an MRI scan on her mother’s back, despite her having previously having had surgery for a spinal fracture, and did not give her paracetamol when required.
In a report, the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) said the lack of medication meant Mrs A “may have suffered an increase in her pain as a result”.
The report noted that updates on Mrs A’s condition were recorded on ARI’s Datix system, which tracks and reports all incidents within the hospital.
But her daughter was not informed of these changes to her mother’s health.
Ms C also claimed that NHS Grampian did not respond in a timely manner when she raised complaints about the lack of communication the hospital had with her in regards to her mother’s health.
In the decision report, the SPSO ruled NHS Grampian must apologise to Ms C for failing to provide her mother with reasonable care, and for the “unreasonable delay” in informing her on her mother’s condition.
The report stated: “The organisation must identify any training needs to ensure staff fully and appropriately respond to complaints.
“We have asked the organisation to provide us with evidence that they have implemented the recommendations.”
The body also determined there was an “unreasonable delay” in keeping Ms C updated, and that they had failed to give her a “full and reasoned response” to her complaint.
A spokeswoman for NHS Grampian said: “We have accepted the ombudsman’s recommendations in this case. Our handling of Mrs A’s treatment and the complaint made by her daughter was not at the standard we would wish.
“We have complied with all the recommendations made and would take this opportunity to apologise again to the Mrs A’s family.”
