Two Year Hospital Stay

A woman will receive 1,500 in compensation after she complained that her adult son was hospitalised unnecessarily for two years. The patient who was held had Huntingtons diseases; he was admitted to Rockwood Hospital in Cardiff for two weeks in August 2007. Although in August 2009 he was discharged and then died last month. The ombudsman granted the compensation on the basis that the Local Health Board was unable to agree a discharge. The NHS has issued a statement apologising unreservedly. Huntington disease was common in the family, with the patients father and sister previously dying from the disease, which is a hereditary disorder of the central nervous system. The mother of the patient lodged an extensive complaint to the NHS, with it highlighting that despite the trust ruling her son needed 24 hour care, she still had to visit the hospital everyday to feed her son as the hospital staff were unable to do it for her. The ombudsman report stated that there had been a failure by the hospital to carry out adequate assessments, a failure to take into account all of the relevant factors of the case and that there had been an excessive delay.
The ombudsman also recommended that the Cardiff and Vale University LHB should apologise to the mother for their failings and that they should pay 1,500 in compensation for the time and trouble which had been encountered in pursuing the complaint and inconvenience of visiting her son every day to feed him. The hospital was also asked to inform their staff of their responsibilities in regards to carrying out full assessments, taking specialist advice and assisting carers.