Woman compensated £10,000 after heart attack due to inadequate care following appendicitis
A woman, identified as Mrs B, who suffered a heart attack following treatment for appendicitis, is to be compensated £10,000.
The Public Services Ombudsman for Wales (PSOW) directed Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board [BCUHB] to make this payment after the board’s admitted shortcomings in the care they provided.
Mrs B’s husband made the complaint, saying that his wife didn’t receive the “appropriate and timely” treatment she needed. The subsequent investigation by the PSOW concurred.
Key Findings from the Investigation
According to the PSOW’s public interest report:
- Mrs B was not given the expected standard of care after her appendectomy.
- The medical team failed to discern the root cause of Mrs. B’s respiratory challenges and didn’t administer the timely treatment she needed.
- Mrs B’s deteriorating health conditions went unnoticed, and no prompt action was taken.
- Mrs B’s stay in ICU and her cardiac arrest might have been preventable had she received the right care.
Mrs B had been left with health and mobility problems that she would not have expected to have to cope with in her 50s and which may significantly limit her quality of life for years to come.
The Ombudsman believed that Mr B had also suffered significant injustice through the distress he experienced during his wife’s admission and afterwards, in adapting to the need to provide ongoing physical and psychological support to her
Commenting on the report, Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, Michelle Morris, said: “This sad case demonstrates why the “own initiative” power is needed, in the public interest, and for individuals who come to our office.”
“Mr and Mrs B were entirely unaware of the missed finding on the CT colonography, and the problem was not identified during the Health Board’s own investigation of the complaint.”
“Had my office not started an “own initiative” investigation to consider this, this significant failing leading to serious injustice to Mr and Mrs B would otherwise not have come to light.”
The Ombudsman has recommended that Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board apologise to Mr and Mrs B and pay them £10,000 to reflect the serious injustices arising from the missed CT colonography finding in 2017 and the poor post-operative care in 2019.
The Ombudsman also recommended that the report should be shared with the First and Second Consultants for the purposes of reflection and discussion at their next annual appraisals, in addition to providing evidence to her office that the report has been discussed at a surgical clinical governance meeting and appropriate learning points shared with relevant clinical teams.
Carol Shillabeer, Interim Chief Executive at BCUHB, acknowledged the report’s findings, stating: “On behalf of the board, I wish to apologise for the failings in the care provided.”
“We accept all of the Ombudsman’s recommendations and are taking essential steps to rectify the issues.”
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