"Failings in Patient Affairs in NHS Lanarkshire"

First of all, I would like to commend the care shown to my late wife by the staff at various wards of Wishaw University hospital, The Beatson clinic in Glasgow and the medical staff at my local medical centre in Motherwell.

My wife who passed away in September 2022, was discharged at the beginning of September to come home from Wishaw General to hopefully pass away in peace. However the manner of her discharge which included a raised toilet seat that was soiled with excrement, incomplete prescription, missing equipment and undue pressure on me not accept a hospital bed delivered to my home after it was agreed; for her final few days led me to contact patient affairs.

In my initial email, I was at pains to point out I did not want to complain, rather express my concern at my wife’s treatment on discharge. The patient affairs manger decided to treat it as a complaint given the serious nature of my concerns. According to patient affairs own web page at the time, it was said that complaints were due to be responded to within 20 working days. I received a further email from patient affairs in October apologising in delay in responding within timescale to which I replied I understood the pressures their department was in and happy to wait.

I heard nothing further from Patient affairs until I prompted them for an update in November, to which I received an email that evening apologising, and advising me of a written response within the next few weeks. At the beginning of December I emailed again, and again was advised that the patient affairs department hoped to write to me by the end of December.

Not hearing anything from Patient Affairs by mid January 2023 I wrote again requesting an update and expressing my disappointment in the unmet assurances. The Patient Affairs manager wrote back at the end of January 2023 to apologise once again, and assured me final comments from senior staff were forthcoming and I would receive a reply. I reminded the manager that If I had not heard from her by a specific date in February 2023, I would be forced to write to the chief executive of NHS Lanarkshire, the Chair of the Board of NHS Lanarkshire and possibly elected members of the Scottish Parliament highlighting my deep disappointment in broken assurances and 5 months without a reply.

I came across Care Opinion Scotland site, and thought before I write further letters I would tell my story here, and I hope someone with authority would perhaps expediate this without the need for me to escalate it further.

I am not doing this for my wife, I am doing this to try and highlight the problems I imagine some others face at discharge, which was distressing. I am not exaggerating when I say the discharge day was one of the most distressing and painful days for me since my wife was initially diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer in May 2021. I am further distressed by the lack of empathy shown by patient affairs, their lack of updates unless asked for, and unmet assurances given on at least 3 occasions. I have lost faith in any assurances they may give as previous ones have been patiently untrue.

I cannot stress enough however the medical care given to my wife other than this was first class and I do wish to commend all who cared for both of us in the last few months of her life. It is marred however by the inaction of patient affairs; and leads me to conclude that the system is not robust enough. As no senior nurse, or ward manager has taken the time at the discharge knowing there were problems reported to get in touch or explain why things went wrong. I write this in a diminishing hope that someone in authority at NHS Lanarkshire may make inquiries and account as to why I have been waiting for over 5 months for a reply that I was first led to believe I would receive in late 2022.