Ombudsmen's report finds serious failings in man's care
By Ian Birch
A report published today slams an NHS Trust and a local council for failing to monitor a severely mentally ill man, who died from cancer last year.
The joint investigation by the Health Service Ombudsman and Local Government Ombudsman reveals how the joint Community Mental Health service of the 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Trust and St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council failed to monitor him, spot the deterioration in his mental health or take his concerns about his physical health seriously.
The cousin, "Ms A", of the man, known only as "Mr B", complained that when she moved back to Merseyside and started visiting him again, she noticed he was living in a filthy and unsanitary state, and was unwell.
Mr B had been treated in the community for a decade and was receiving care from a care co-ordinator and a community psychiatric nurse: who visited him fortnighly to administer medication.
One of Ms A's complaints was that her cousin's consultant psychiatrist had failed to listen to his client's concerns about his physical health and had prescribed antidepressants. Ms A also said her cousin was not advised about his entitlement to welfare benefits and that his care plan was not implemented.
Mr B sadly died whilst the Ombudsmen were investigating her complaint, but today they recommended an apology from both the NHS Trust and local council and ordered that £2,000 compensation plus £1,500 costs be paid to Ms A.
Health Service Ombudsman Ann Abraham said: "This is an extremely sad case about a vulnerable person who was not supported in the way he should have been. The Trust and the Council failed to deliver the standard of care Mr B was entitled to and he was left to live in unacceptable conditions. Although we cannot conclude definitely that there would have been a different outcome for Mr B, in terms of the diagnosis and treatment of his myeloma, we did find that the failure to implement his care plans and to manage risk appropriately played some part in his rapid deterioration."
Local Government Ombudsman Anne Seex added: "By complaining to the Ombudsmen Ms A has provided a valuable service to her wider community. Our investigation resulted in assurances from the 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Trust and St Helens Borough Council that lessons have been learnt and others are now less likely to suffer as Mr B did. A key lesson is the importance of observations from workers like cleaners who had the most regular contact with Mr B.
"We hope that our joint investigation has given Ms A the explanations she wanted about how her cousin came to be living in the conditions that she found at his flat.
"The Ombudsmen’s power to investigate complaints jointly is particularly important when health and local government join together to provide a combined ‘seamless’ service - joint services mean joint accountability if things go wrong."
You can read the full report online at: http://www.ombudsman.org.uk/improving-public-service/reports-and-consultations/reports/health/a-report-by-the-hso-and-the-lgo-about-the-care-and-support-provided-to-a-vulnerable-person-living-independently-in-the-community/1
Related Articles
Concerns raised over man's mental health care
