iStockNHS Forth Valley has been ordered to apologise to the family of a patient who died despite attending the hospital three times after a fall at home.
The patient’s family complained to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) about failings in the person’s care.
Their report outlined that the patient was initially treated and sent home, before being admitted to the hospital a few days later with low sodium and anaemia.
They were once again discharged after a short stay, but came back to A&E a few days later, where their condition deteriorated and they died.
A complaint was later made to the SPSO, who found that the management of their sodium levels during the first admission was reasonable.
However, the watchdog said there was a lack of accurate charting of the patient’s bowel movements, and that medications to address their constipation were not provided at discharge.
The ombudsman also determined that there was an unreasonable delay in the patient being seen by a doctor on their second attendance at A&E.
The health board has been asked to apologise to the family and to make changes to “put things right” in the future.
A spokesperson for NHS Forth Valley said: “We are sorry for the failures identified in the report and have apologised to the family.
“Action has been taken to address the report recommendations and help prevent similar issues from occurring in the future.”
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