Hospital failed to give patient diabetes with adequate food and drink before death in Lanarkshire

A health board has been ordered to apologise to the family of a diabetic patient who did not receive adequate food and drink before they died.

The patient’s child complained that NHS Lanarkshire failed to provide reasonable care to their parent, who had diabetes, before their death.

The patient, who was living independently, was admitted to hospital after falling and injuring their knee.

Following the surgery, staff were found to have failed to provide adequate food and drink or antibiotics in a timely manner.

After the patient died in the hospital, their family raised complaints about the end-of-life care they received and the delay in providing a death certificate.

An investigation by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO), who sought advice from a consultant physician and a registered senior nurse, upheld the complaints submitted by the patient’s child.

The watchdog found that medical and nursing care fell below a reasonable standard following the patient’s surgery.

NHS Lanarkshire was ordered to apologise.

SPSO also found that the patient’s end-of-life nursing care fell below a reasonable standard but said the medical care was adequate.

The watchdog instructed the health board to take actions such as documenting end-of-life care plans and ensuring patients receive appropriate nursing care, including appropriate nutritional and fluid intake monitoring.

It added that staff caring for a patient with diabetes “should be competent in the monitoring and appropriate recording of blood sugar results and any action taken to address low or high blood sugar”.

The report also found that there was an “unreasonable” delay in providing a death certificate.

NHS Lanarkshire has been contacted for comment.