Vulnerable patient almost choked to death on takeaway ordered by carers in East Renfrewshire

A carer has been ordered to apologise to the family of a vulnerable patient who almost choked to death on a takeaway while under their supervision.

The patient’s family raised a complaint about the East Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership with the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman.

According to the review, a carer provided the resident with a takeaway, despite them having been prescribed a special adjusted diet.

The patient choked on their food and required urgent emergency care.

Following the incident, the patient’s family complained that the food wasn’t suitable and not prepared in line with their adjusted diet.

Following advice from a speech and language therapist, the ombudsman found that it was reasonable for staff to have ordered a takeaway and did not uphold this part of the complaint.

However, staff were found to have failed to assess if the meal was safe, and had failed to prepare the meal in line with the prescribed diet plan.

It was also found that the partnership had failed to provide the patient with the correct cutlery and failed to appropriately investigate the incident.

Following a review, it was recommended that guidance issued regarding diet is clearly understood and followed, along with any adaptations that may be needed for the patient when eating.

It has also been recommended that the partnership’s handling system should ensure that complaints are appropriately investigated and failings are identified and learned from.

The ombudsman has asked the organisation to provide evidence that they have implemented the recommendations set.

The partnership was also asked to apologise to the patient’s family.

A spokesperson from East Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership said: “For reasons of confidentiality, we cannot comment on individual cases, however, we have apologised to the family.

“We would also like to apologise for the failings outlined by the SPSO and offer reassurance that we have taken forward all of requirements made by the report, and that the safety of the people we support remains our highest priority.”