Search the hub
Showing results for tags 'Post-discharge support'.
-
Content Article
Prevention of Future Deaths Report: Samuel Brookes (23 April 2025)
Mark Hughes posted an article in Coroner reports
Samuel Brookes was discharged home from Russells Hall Hospital, Dudley, on the 8 April 2024 where he had been admitted following a fall and long lie at home. The hospital arranged his transportation without rearranging his required care of two carers, four times a day. Mr Brookes, who was immobile and lived alone, was transported to his bed where he could not reach his pendant alarm nor his mobile phone, which was in another room. Mr Brookes was left unattended for two weeks, until on the 22 April 2024 his grandson attended and found him unresponsive, wedged between his bed and the bedroom wall. An ambulance was called, sadly on arrival paramedics confirmed that Mr Brookes was deceased and his death was declared at 11:37 hours. The Coroner in his report highlighted the following matters of concern: The hospital arranged for Mr Brookes transportation home without rearranging the required care. There was no record or documentation or process to show or demonstrate that the care had been rearranged. The transport company were responsible for transportation only and were not required to notify either the hospital, or if known, the care company of Mr Brookes’ safe return. It proceeded on the basis or assumption that care would have restarted within 4 hours or sooner. Mr Brookes did not have his alarm pendant around his neck and nor was his mobile phone available (it was in another room). Accordingly when Mr Brookes got into difficulty he could not raise the alarm or call for help.- Posted
-
- Patient death
- Discharge
- (and 4 more)
-
Content Article
Impact of virtual wards
Patient_Safety_Learning posted an article in Digital health and care service provision
Access outline their virtual ward offer and 10 case studies from NHS trusts and other organisations from which they present findings as testimony, to show the impact of virtual wards on the NHS’ ability to provide care.- Posted
-
- Virtual ward
- Post-discharge support
-
(and 1 more)
Tagged with:
-
Content Article
In this episode of the Medicine and the Machine podcast, Scottish GP Gavin Francis talks about the need to reconsider the importance of convalescence. He discusses the role of GPs in supporting patients through recovery after a hospital admission or period of illness and talks about a lack of awareness of the principles of convalescence amongst patients. -
Content Article
Analysis of the nature and contributory factors of medication safety incidents following hospital discharge using National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS) data from England and Wales: a multi-method study (16 March 2023)
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Medication including labelling
Improving medication safety during transitions of care is an international healthcare priority. While existing research reveals that medication-related incidents and associated harms may be common following hospital discharge, there is limited information about their nature and contributory factors at a national level which is crucial to inform improvement strategy. This study in the journal Therapeutic Advances in Drug Safety aimed to characterise the nature and contributory factors of medication-related incidents during transitions of care from secondary to primary care. The authors found several themes for future research that could support the development of interventions, including: commonly observed medication classes older adults increase patient engagements improve shared care agreements for medication monitoring post hospital discharge.- Posted
-
- Medication
- Post-discharge support
- (and 6 more)
-
News Article
Serious patient safety and wellbeing concerns about the latest hospital discharge guidance have been raised to HSJ by senior clinicians and charities. Senior geriatricians warned that the guidance could prompt an increase in “urgent readmissions”, “permanent disability” and “excess mortality”, while charities said families could be left with “unsustainable caring responsibilities” because of the new rules. The government guidance, Hospital Discharge Service: policy and operating model, published in August, said clinicians should consider discharging patients when they were “medically optimised” rather than “medically fit”. It said 95% of these patients would return straight home with additional social care and rehabilitation support if needed. Many of the concerns raised surround the retention of the “criteria to reside”. This was originally agreed in March when there was a push from NHS England to free up acute beds over fears hospitals would become overwhelmed with covid admissions as the pandemic hit the UK. The criteria has, however, been maintained in the new guidance, despite a significant fall in infections and deaths from the virus. Rachel Power, chief executive of The Patients Association charity, warned: “This guidance makes it clear that the NHS is still having to take drastic emergency action in the face of covid-19, that will continue to take a heavy toll on patients. It is clear that many patients will be rushed home who would normally have had a longer period of hospital care.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 8 September 2020- Posted
-
- Post-discharge support
- Care coordination
-
(and 2 more)
Tagged with:
-
News Article
NHS ‘lifeline’ for hundreds of stroke survivors
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Hundreds of NHS patients have received personal, specialised care thanks to a new service set up during the coronavirus pandemic. Stroke Connect, a partnership with the NHS and the Stroke Association provides stroke survivors with support and advice in the early days following hospital discharge, without having to leave the house. Experts have said that the new offer is providing a ‘lifeline’ during the pandemic and has helped more than 500 people to rebuild their lives after having a stroke since it launched last month. Patients are contacted for an initial call within a few days of discharge from hospital, from a trained ‘Stroke Association Connector’, an expert in supporting people after stroke. The connector provides reassurance, support with immediate concerns and links the stroke survivor to support they can access in the long-term as part of their recovery journey as well as signposting them to other sources of support. A further call is offered within the month to check in on the stroke survivor’s progress and identify any further support needed. The new service complements existing rehabilitation services and ‘life after stroke’ care, which has continued throughout the pandemic. Read full story Source: NHS England, 31 August 2020- Posted
-
- Stroke
- Post-discharge support
-
(and 2 more)
Tagged with:
-
News Article
Third of frail hospital leavers in England find post-discharge care lacking
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Problems with hospital discharges in England, highlighted in the largest annual patient survey, reinforce the need for greater integration between health and social care, the sector regulator has said. The Care Quality Commission inpatient survey found that a majority of patients were positive about their hospital care but a significant minority experienced problems on discharge. A third of respondents who were frail said the care and support they expected when they left hospital was not available when they needed it. Three in 10 frail people said they had not had discussions with staff about the need for further health and social care services they might require post-discharge. Four in 10 of all patients surveyed left hospital without printed or written information about what they should or should not do after discharge, and the same proportion said their discharge was delayed. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 2 July 2020- Posted
-
- Post-discharge support
- Patient
-
(and 2 more)
Tagged with:
-
News Article
Coronavirus: Warning thousands could be left with lung damage
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Tens of thousands of people will need to be recalled to hospital after a serious OVID-19 infection to check if they have been left with permanent lung damage, doctors have told the BBC. Experts are concerned a significant proportion could be left with lung scarring, known as pulmonary fibrosis. The condition is irreversible and symptoms can include severe shortness of breath, coughing and fatigue. Research into the prevalence of lung damage caused by COVID-19 is still at a very early stage. It's thought those with a mild form of the disease are unlikely to suffer permanent damage. But those in hospital, and particularly those in intensive care or with a severe infection, are more vulnerable to complications. In a study from China, published in March, 66 of 70 patients still had some level of lung damage after being discharged from hospital. Radiologists in the UK say, based on the early results of follow-up scans, they are concerned about the long term-effects of a serious infection. Prof Gisli Jenkins, of the National Institute for Health Research, is running assessment clinics for those discharged from hospital with COVID-19. He said: "My real concern is that never before in our lifetime have so many people been subject to the same lung injury at the same time." NHS England has said it is planning to open a number of specialist COVID-19 rehabilitation centres to help patients recover from long-term effects, including possible lung damage. Read full story Source: BBC News, 24 June 2020- Posted
-
- Virus
- Secondary impact
- (and 2 more)
-
Content Article
This survey looks at the experiences of people who stayed at least one night in hospital as an inpatient. People were eligible to take part in the survey if they stayed in hospital for at least one night during November 2021 and were aged 16 years or over at the time of their stay. The results show some change in people’s experience of inpatient care compared with the previous survey in 2020, and for the most part is a decline in opinions. Areas with the largest increase in negative results are those relating to patients’ fundamental needs, such as getting enough help to wash or keep clean and to eat meals, as well as being able to get help from staff when needed. For questions relating to interactions with doctors and nurses, such as being included in conversations, receiving clear answers to questions, confidence and trust, most respondents reported a positive experience, but there has been an increase in those reporting negative experiences. Hospital discharge remains a challenging part of people’s experiences of care. Patients were not always involved in decisions about discharge and did not always know what would happen next with their care, with both having deteriorated compared with 2020. Interactions with doctors and nurses Most patients (73% for doctors and 74% for nurses) understood the answers to their questions all of the time, but this has decreased compared to 2020 (75% for doctors and 77% for nurses). Similarly, 73% of people always felt included in conversations with their doctors about their care, as did 75% of people with nurses, but again this has decreased compared to 2020 (74% for doctors and 77% for nurses). Most patients (81% for doctors and 79% for nurses) had confidence and trust in the doctors and nurses treating them, but results have decreased from 84% and 83% respectively in 2020. Information Patients being given information about what they should or should not do after leaving hospital has increased from 70% in 2020 to 78%. Key areas for improvement Meeting patients’ fundamental needs 70% of patients said they always received help to wash or keep themselves clean, compared with 75% previously. Furthermore, 65% of patients said they always got help to eat their meals, compared with 69% previously. Fewer patients said they could always get help from staff when they needed it: 63% compared with 67% previously. Patient discharge from hospital 38% of patients were involved ‘a great deal’ in decisions about their discharge, down from 40% previously. Less than half (45%) of respondents ‘definitely’ knew what would happen next with their care after leaving hospital (46% in 2020). Nearly three-quarters (73%) of patients said they were told who to contact if they were worried about their condition or treatment after leaving hospital; down from 76% previously. Fewer patients said staff discussed with them whether they may need further health and social care services after leaving hospital: 79% compared with 81% previously. After leaving hospital, less than half (46%) of patients said they definitely got enough support from health and social care services to help them recover or manage their condition, which is also a decrease compared with 51% previously. Overall experiences Overall experience of inpatient care has decreased for the most positive scores of 9 and 10 (where 10 is a very good experience): 52% compared with 56% in 2020.- Posted
-
- Discharge
- Post-discharge support
-
(and 2 more)
Tagged with:
-
Content Article
Rehabilitation is fast becoming the new priority in dealing with the impact of this pandemic and is crucial for people recovering from COVID-19 infection.The Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) have published three guides to support people to manage post-viral fatigue and conserve their energy as they recover from COVID-19. These guides are endorsed by the Intensive Care Society.Practical advice for people who have been treated in hospitalPractical advice for people who have recovered at home’Practical advice for people during and after having COVID-19.You can download the guides via the link below.- Posted
-
- Virus
- ME/ Chronic fatigue syndrome
- (and 4 more)
-
Content Article
The National Falls Prevention Coordination Group has identified resources to address Covid-19 related falls and fracture issues including advice for patients on keeping active following hospital discharge. The advice leaflet has been designed for patients who are discharged home with no community rehabilitation and can be download via the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy link below. It explains why muscle wasting occurs with prolonged bed rest or inactivity and why it is important to be active when discharged home from hospital.- Posted
-
- Post-discharge support
- Patient / family support
- (and 2 more)
-
Content Article
People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at increased risk from coronavirus. Patient Safety Collaboratives are temporarily pausing their work to actively promote the COPD discharge bundle, however they will remain available to provide any support that organisations require. There are more updates and resources for COPD via this webpage. -
Content Article
This review explores the benefits of multidisciplinary team working to support people having surgery and the factors that may help and hinder its development and sustainability. Perioperative care is the integrated multidisciplinary care of patients from the moment surgery is contemplated through to full recovery. Multidisciplinary working, whereby professionals from different specialties and sectors work together to support someone along their journey, is a foundation of perioperative care. The Centre for Perioperative Care (CPOC) wanted to explore the benefits of, and barriers and enabler to, multidisciplinary team working. The rapid review summarises learning from 236 UK and international studies about this. About 13% of the studies were from the UK. To identify relevant research, 14 bibliographic databases were searched and screened more than 18,000 articles available as of June 2020. This report teases out the ‘ingredients’ for successful team working at system, organisational, team and individual level. In the COVID-era, multidisciplinary perioperative teams can be at the front and centre of supporting staff to deliver the best possible care. Key messages Our review found that multidisciplinary working is worth prioritising. There is evidence that in some cases multidisciplinary working can: speed access to surgery, if that is an appropriate treatment option improve people’s clinical outcomes, such as reducing complications after surgery reduce the cost of surgical care by helping people leave hospital earlier However, these benefits are not always apparent. More work is needed to explore which types of multidisciplinary working are most effective and what infrastructure and resources are needed to strengthen and sustain multidisciplinary care around the time of surgery.- Posted
-
- Surgery - General
- Operating theatre / recovery
- (and 5 more)
-
Content Article
This document from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) sets out how health and care systems can ensure that people: are discharged safely from hospital to the most appropriate place. continue to receive the care and support they need after they leave hospital. It replaces ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19) hospital discharge service requirements’ published on 19 March 2020.- Posted
-
- Discharge
- Post-discharge support
- (and 4 more)
-
Content Article
Crisis care summary 2.1- Professional Record Standards Body
Claire Cox posted an article in Transfers of care
Helping patients and their families cope during a terminal illness is fundamental to good health care and that depends on professionals and the people in their care having access to the right information at the right time to support them. The Professional Record Standards Body (PRSB) has published the crisis care standard to support better coordination of treatment in primary,acute and community care, as well as hospices, care homes, and social services. The standard will also help patients to avoid unnecessary admissions and procedures.- Posted
-
- End of life care
- Patient / family support
- (and 4 more)
-
Content Article
In the light of the current national guidance to reduce the number of inpatient learning disability beds, a review was completed of the quality of lives of the people who had been former inpatients in Cornwall at the time of closure of the learning disability inpatient facilities almost 10 years before transforming care. This study highlights that people with complex concerns with a history of placement breakdowns and past institutionalisation can be settled successfully and safely in local communities. However, it is difficult for many of them to achieve a satisfactory quality of life long term. The obligation for this lies with service providers to provide adequate support to overcome that difficulty.- Posted
-
- Learning disabilities
- Post-discharge support
- (and 2 more)
-
Content Article
HomeLink Healthcare (HLHC) has been providing clinical care in the home with Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (NNUHT) since January 2019, to release in-patient bed capacity and improve patient choice. The two organisations have co-created the service, NNUH at Home, creating additional capacity and promoting improvements in patient flow from hospital to home. A key feature of NNUH at Home is that it compliments and integrates with existing services, rather than replicating those already in place. The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital introduced NNUH at Home in January 2019 as part of a pilot project. NNUH is working in partnership with HomeLink Healthcare to deliver this service, which will benefit patients by supporting them to leave hospital as soon as they are clinically stable. Some clinically selected patients are able to go home to recover for the last few days of their acute episode of care. These patients remain under the care of the hospital and will be supported at home with bespoke care services such as therapy, nursing care, personal care and IV antibiotics. Patients are able to complete the remainder of their care in the comfort of their own homes, with the full support of their medical consultant and the NNUH and HomeLink teams. The NNUH at Home team comprises of nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and Healthcare Support Workers. Patients transferred to the NNUH at Home service will remain under the care of their hospital consultant until they are formally discharged by the hospital to their GP at the end of their agreed length of stay. NNUH at Home will complements existing NHS community services.- Posted
-
- Care home
- Hospital ward
- (and 4 more)
-
Content Article
Medicines reconciliation and medication reviews play an integral part in medicine optimisation. Medicines reconciliation is the process of accurately listing a person’s medicines. This could be when they're admitted into a service or when their treatment changes. It involves recording a current list of medicines, including over-the-counter and complementary medicines. Then, the list is compared with the medicines the person is actually using. It involves recognising and resolving any discrepancies and documenting any changes. The medicines reconciliation process will vary depending on the care setting that the person has moved into (or from). Trained and competent staff should carry out the medicines reconciliation. They should consult with a health professional. Ideally, this should be the person’s GP, nurse or pharmacist. This is a template that can be used by health professionals carrying out medicines reconciliation.- Posted
-
- Pharmacist
- Post-discharge support
- (and 3 more)
-
Content Article
Age UK: Getting help after hospital discharge
PatientSafetyLearning Team posted an article in Discharge
This webpage from Age UK gives advice on how elderly people can get support after they have been discharged from hospital. Content includes: How will I be assessed for help? Will I have to pay for help at home? What are intermediate care and reablement services? How do I arrange my own homecare after hospital discharge?- Posted
-
- Older People (over 65)
- Post-discharge support
-
(and 1 more)
Tagged with:
-
Content Article
Patient Safety Learning speaks to sepsis survivor, Dave Carson, and his wife, Margaret Carson, who tell us how things have improved and what more still needs to be done for sepsis. -
Content Article
Pharmacies in Cheshire and Merseyside are being notified by their local hospital when a patient is discharged who might need help with their medication. The initiative, called Transfer of Care Around Medicines, is improving patient safety and quality of care – and saved the NHS in Cheshire and Merseyside an estimated £9.5 million over the three years to Spring 2019. The challenge Some patients leaving hospital need advice and support to help them take their medicines correctly and safely. Around 60 per cent of patients have three or more changes made to their medicines during their stay in hospital, and only 10 per cent of older patients are discharged with the same medication they were taking before they went into hospital. In some cases, errors or unintentional changes to a patient’s medication can occur because of miscommunication. This can lead to patients becoming unwell and being readmitted to hospital, causing unnecessary distress to the patient and placing an avoidable burden on NHS resources. It is estimated that 6.5 per cent of emergency admissions are a result of adverse drug reactions, of which it is estimated that 72 per cent are avoidable. Actions taken In 2016, NHS England in Cheshire and Merseyside, in partnership with the Innovation Agency, received funding from NHS England to support the implementation of systems enabling the transfer of care from hospitals to community pharmacies. Soon afterwards, the initiative was adopted nationally by all Academic Health Science Networks and is one of the AHSN Network’s key innovation programmes. A secure digital system enables a hospital’s pharmacy team to inform the patient’s local pharmacy of the patient’s medicines on discharge, so the pharmacist can follow up with advice and services. Impacts Of all referrals from hospitals to community pharmacies through Transfer of Care Around Medicines, around 40 per cent require follow-up action from the pharmacist. It is estimated that for every 10 completed referrals, eight avoidable bed days are saved for the NHS. As of March 2019, Transfer of Care Around Medicines in Cheshire and Merseyside has been implemented in 10 trusts, including 11 hospitals, two mental health trusts and all 635 community pharmacies in the region – the fastest adoption and widest spread of the initiative in any region in England. There have been 14,853 referrals to community pharmacists at March 2019, of which 6,224 have been completed with further actions from the pharmacist, resulting in calculated savings of 5,103 bed days, or £9.5 million, to the NHS as well as improved patient safety and quality of care. Testimonial Una Harding, pharmacist at Day Lewis Pharmacy in Aintree, said: “We now get notifications on our system on a daily basis, it’s a platform we use every day. New discharges or referrals are the first thing you see when you log on. If we see a patient has recently been in hospital we can make a note to speak to them about their medication when they next come in." "Patients now understand we can deliver more for them. There’s a culture now where people are realising that their GP doesn’t always have to be the first port of call. They know now that if they come into the pharmacy we can talk to them about the changes to their medication." "It’s fabulous. Finally we’re getting more information so we can make more clinical decisions without having to hunt for information from different sources.” Hassan Argomandkhah, Chair of Pharmacy Local Professional Network NHS England Cheshire and Merseyside, said: “What started as an idea – we’ve managed to achieve it, and even if we’ve made just one small change in the quality of life of one patient in the past two years it’s been well worth it. None of this would have happened without the dedication of the pharmacists and their teams – whether in NHS England, in the community pharmacies, or in the hospital pharmacy teams – and all the other ancillary staff surrounding them. Without that support and encouragement we wouldn’t have achieved this.”- Posted
-
- Pharmacy / chemist
- Home
-
(and 3 more)
Tagged with:
-
Content Article
World Sepsis Day – Julia's Story
Claire Cox posted an article in By patients and public
Sepsis is the immune system’s overreaction to an infection. Normally, our immune system helps fight infections – but sometimes it attacks our body’s own organs and tissues. We do not yet know why the body reacts this way, which is what makes sepsis so dangerous; if Sepsis isn’t treated immediately, it can result in organ failure and death. Yet with early diagnosis, it can be treated with antibiotics. This is an interview with sepsis survivor Julia, who gives insight into her own personal battle with the condition. -
Content Article
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust have devised a patient leaflet to help patients play a role in their safety while at the hospital.- Posted
-
- Patient
- Post-discharge support
- (and 6 more)
-
Content Article
Interesting article, by the Patient Safety Network, around how patients can be involved in the solution and the cause of some patient safety incidents.- Posted
-
- Patient
- Post-discharge support
- (and 8 more)
-
Content Article
Lessons not learned: A family's lengthy efforts to turn complaints into improvements
Anonymous posted an article in PHSO investigations
A family describe the lengthy efforts they had to take to try to ensure their complaints about their loved one's end of life care would result in improvements at the hospital. Background Taking someone from hospital to die at home is a major undertaking for both the hospital and the patient’s family or caregivers. The transition inevitably disrupts a patient’s care and comfort. The disruption could no doubt be managed and accommodated if there is sufficient time. But if time is short, and particularly if problems arise, there can be chaos and confusion at a time when the dying patient and their family need a calm, orderly environment. My husband was in palliative care in hospital in early 2022 and was discharged to die at home following his wishes. From the moment the decision was made to take him home, we faced many problems. To name a few: Hospital staff had great difficulty coordinating everything required for his move home and his discharge was chaotic and delayed by more than 48 hours as a result; we experienced bullying and coercion by a nurse, who wanted us to leave when there was no hospital bed at home for my husband or confirmation one would arrive; there were errors in the supply of medication we received and its documentation (we’d received chemotherapy medication that wasn’t prescribed, but no supply of other prescribed medication, and no supply of pain relief medication in a form my husband could take as his condition had deteriorated during the delay); and there were errors in the information recorded in my husband’s discharge summary. Our complaints The chaos and confusion made my husband’s suffering worse, as well as that of his family who were traumatised by what they witnessed, and we later complained to the hospital about what we all had to endure. Much of what we had experienced could have been avoided. We were convinced that our complaints would lead to at least some improvements in the hospital’s practices and procedures. In their response, however, only in relation to one specific complaint (delay to the delivery of the hospital bed to our home) was there an explanation of the steps that the hospital would take to prevent it happening again. This meant that all the other problems we’d complained about could happen to others. Therefore, we decided to make a submission to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). One of the errors in my husband’s discharge summary was to his condition, which was assessed and recorded as ‘moderately frail’ (it should have been ‘terminally ill’). This information bewildered and misled us (causing some family members to delay visiting him, believing he was fitter than he was, for example) and created difficulties for the hospice nurses who came to our home to attend to him. They had prepared to assist someone ‘moderately frail’ and it took them time to adjust and get the necessary equipment and pain relief. Consequently, my husband didn’t receive intravenous morphine until one hour before he died. As a result of this and the other problems, 34 hours after arriving home my husband died having endured terrible pain and distress in chaotic and undignified conditions, which were devastating for his family to witness. The hospital had explained the cause of the error to my husband’s discharge summary: it had been auto-populated from his admission data. Severity of Injustice This was duly confirmed as a failing by the PHSO investigation and classified as level 1 in the PHSO’s ‘Severity of Injustice’ scale.[1] This classification surprised us, because level 1 is assigned to failings considered to cause "annoyance, frustration, worry or inconvenience, typically arising from a single (one-off) incidence of maladministration or service failure".[2] A failing due to auto-population of data is a systemic failing, designed to recur, not intended to be a one-off event. We were even more surprised and disappointed to learn that when failings are classified as level 1 or level 2 in the PHSO’s six-level ‘Severity of Injustice’ scale, no further action is taken. When we first complained to the hospital we were encouraged by the information on its website, which expressed a desire to learn from mistakes and improve how they do things in the future. When we made our submission to the PHSO, we were convinced by the information on their website that our efforts would lead to improvements. The objective of improvement to services is repeated in several places. For example: "If we decide that the organization got things wrong..., we can recommend what it should do about this. We can ask an organization to improve its services to avoid the same things happening again."[3] The PHSO carried out two investigations into our complaints. The report on the first contained so many errors, misunderstandings and omissions that our caseworker abandoned it and opened a new case. The two investigations, from our first submission to the last communication, took 16 months. Towards the end of those 16 months, we saw that when a failing is identified, complainants are directed to the ‘Severity of Injustice,’ which focuses not on service improvement but on financial remedy. Failings assigned to level 1 and 2 require no further action. For failings assigned to levels 3–6, financial remedy is considered appropriate. But regardless of level, there are no references to improvement or recommendations, nor does the PHSO appear to publish a comparable document describing the kind of recommendations that might be considered appropriate in relation to failings. What happens to the objective of improvement? It is extraordinary to us that the PHSO can identify a failing in a hospital’s practices (and a systemic one too, as in our case) but make no recommendation for the hospital to address it. Unaddressed, such failings can happen again. They may also be complained about and investigated again. What’s the point of a process with such an outcome? Financial compensation is an important consideration, but what happens to the objective of improvement? In the course of our PHSO investigations, it fell by the wayside. Without improvement to all levels of failings, our NHS will surely be peppered with examples of substandard practices. Patients will continue to suffer avoidable harm. Public money will be wasted on investigations into other patients’ complaints about the same failing. The thorough review and reform of PHSO procedures called for over a year ago[4] is long overdue to address this bizarre, frustrating and wasteful situation. We call on hospitals, as well, to review their response to patients’ complaints. If the hospital had responded to our complaint more constructively in 2022, there would have been no need for two PHSO investigations which lasted 16 months and used resources that might have been better deployed elsewhere, and which served only to exacerbate and prolong his family’s trauma. References Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. Our guidance on financial remedy. https://www.ombudsman.org.uk/sites/default/files/Our-guidance-on-financial-remedy-1.pdf, accessed May 30 2024. Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. Our guidance on financial remedy, p.5. https://www.ombudsman.org.uk/sites/default/files/Our-guidance-on-financial-remedy-1.pdf, accessed May 30 2024. Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. What we can and can’t help with. https://www.ombudsman.org.uk/making-complaint/what-we-can-and-cant-help, accessed May 30 2024. MPs lament NHS and government complaints body’s “lack of ambition” to return to pre-pandemic service delivery levels. https://committees.parliament.uk/work/6930/parliamentary-and-health-service-ombudsman-scrutiny-202122/news/194562/mps-lament-nhs-and-government-complaints-bodys-lack-of-ambition-to-return-to-prepandemic-service-delivery-levels/, accessed May 30 2024.- Posted
- 2 comments
-
- Hospital ward
- Home
- (and 11 more)