Reading Borough Council (10 007 713)
Summary
Complaint made by a woman about the care provided at the care home to her late uncle.
The complaint
A report of a joint investigation by the Health Service Ombudsman and the Local Government Ombudsman into a complaint about a care home funded jointly by what was then Berkshire West Primary Care Trust (the PCT) and Reading Borough Council.
The complaint was made by a woman about the care provided at the care home to her late uncle. Her uncle did not eat and drink adequately. He appeared to have diarrhoea but was given laxatives. There was a delay in refitting a urinary catheter when the original one became blocked. He was then admitted to hospital where he died from pulmonary embolism due to deep vein thrombosis.
Finding
The Ombudsman upheld the complaint and found fault causing injustice.
Reccommendations
The PCT and the council agreed to:
- write to the lady to acknowledge the failings and apologise for their impact;
- each pay £300 compensation to the lady for the distress her and her family suffered because of the failings identified; and
- prepare action plans to address the failings identified.