Clinical treatment in hospital : Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

Mrs Y complained to the Ombudsman (via her Community Health Council (CHC) advocate) about Cardiff and Vale University Health Board’s response to her concerns surrounding her husband’s (Mr Y) care prior to his death on 21 July 2021. She also had concerns regarding communication around his deteriorating condition due to symptoms of heart failure and issues with how a meeting was conducted, with key personnel not being present.

The Ombudsman sought advice from a professional clinical adviser and found that the care given to Mr Y prior to his death was reasonable. The Ombudsman also found that nothing further could be achieved in respect of communication errors by the Health Board. It had apologised for these and this was deemed sufficient. However, the Ombudsman was concerned that no representative from the hospice (to which Mr Y had been transferred before his death) was at Mrs Y’s meeting with the Health Board. This did not enable the Health Board to satisfactorily resolve her complaint in full.

The Ombudsman sought and gained the Health Board’s agreement to liaise with the hospice and the CHC to arrange a follow-up meeting with Mrs Y, with a hospice representative present, within 20 working days.