Skip to content

Surgery delays left dementia patient housebound

A woman with dementia was effectively left housebound for the last eight years of her life due to surgical delays, an investigation found.

The Public Services Ombudsman for Wales said the individual worried about being "caught short" due to incontinence and it affected her family relationships.

Her son complained about the care she received at Glan Clwyd Hospital in Denbighshire, in particular. Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has since apologised to the family.

Ombudsman Nick Bennett said it was clear there was "significant injustice" in the case of the individual, who was identified in the report findings as Mrs B.

The patient's son complained there had been surgical delays for a rectal prolapse issue dating back to 2011, concerns over inpatient medical care provided by an elderly care consultant, and a delayed diagnosis of terminal ovarian cancer during a hospital stay.

The ombudsman found that clinical decision-making by colorectal surgeons "was not in keeping with accepted clinical practice".

Read full story

Source: BBC News, 2 March 2021

User Feedback

Recommended Comments

There are no comments to display.

Create an account or sign in to comment

Registered address: Patient Safety Learning, China Works SB203, 100 Black Prince Road Vauxhall, London, SE1 7SJ

Account

Navigation

Search

Search

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.