NHS Grampian has been told to apologise to the family of a patient who died after developing sepsis while in their care.
The 53-year-old woman, named only as ‘Mrs A’, was diagnosed with cancer after attending Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and complaining of lower abdominal pain.
After a procedure to drain urine from her kidneys, Mrs A began to show signs of severe infection and later died.
Her daughter complained that antibiotics given as a precaution to prevent such an infection had not been prescribed.
Sepsis, also known as septicemia or blood poisoning, is the name given to a type of reaction from the body to a serious infection that quickly spreads.
In such cases, the immune system will launch a massive response to fight the infection, leading to septic shock and potential organ failure.
In a ruling by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO), the health board were found to have failed to offer antibiotics as a preventive measure.
They also wrongly told the patient’s daughter they were not required to prescribe antibiotics in that situation.
The watchdog also found that NHS Grampian had failed to apologise to the family of Mrs A after her daughter raised concerns.
In the ruling, the health board were told to ensure guidance for clinicians is clearer in future and say sorry to the family.
An NHS Grampian spokeswoman said: “We have accepted the Ombudsman’s recommendations and will implement them in full. This report will be shared in full with the relevant clinical staff.
“We will apologise unreservedly to the family for the areas where our care has fallen short of the high standards we would expect.”
North-east MSP Tom Mason said: “It is right that NHS Grampian has apologised in this case, but members of the public will be concerned about practices at city hospitals.
“Patients and their families will be looking for assurances from the health board that robust measures are now in place to avoid a repeat of this terrible incident.”
