Some months back I posted about the complaint Neil's daughter and I lodged about his awful end of life care as I think I described in 'Nearing the End ? '
We felt we had to raise our concerns with the hospital, various MPs, Care Quality Commission and anyone else who would listen !
After months, we finally received a response which answered our questions with some pretty weak reasons ! For instance, we asked why the ward did not recognise Neil was dying and adjust treatment accordingly. Their response was that one of the senior oncologists had said he had 3 - 6 months to live, I don't think they were able to understand prognoses are not set in stone !
The four of us with him all night were the ones initiating the treatment, begging for doctors to attend and for appropriate pain relief, the ward was understaffed and I dread to think what would have happened if there were not four of us with him all night, including a doctor and two retired nurses !!
His daughter and I met with representatives from the hospital a week ago, which included two senior urologists, the hospital deputy manager, senior matron, surgical matron and two Safeguarding personel, one of whom chaired the meeting.
After nearly two hours discussing and us challenging their interpretation of events, the chair decided the hospital were negligent in his care and expressed concern other urology patients would also have been at risk. She asked for further investigations over a number of points.
The matter will go back to the Care Quality Commission and changes will have to be made to ensure better decisions are made over end of life care, access to senior doctors, pain control, adequate staffing and so on.
I am so pleased as many of our local prostate cancer support group are treated here, I hope we have made a difference for them and for other patients though none of this will bring my partner back and it was hard going over everything again but had to be done !
Fiona.