Summary
Mrs C complained on behalf of her son (Mr A) who had been admitted to Forth Valley Royal Hospital with chronic liver disease. Mrs C said she believed the care and treatment provided to her son had been inadequate, highlighting poor dietary input as a particular concern. Mrs C also said the decision to discharge him had been inappropriate, as he had refused all treatment at home and died a few days later.
We took independent medical advice on Mr A's treatment and discharge. The adviser said that Mr A had been provided with all treatments short of a liver transplant. The advice noted that Mr A had been adamant that he wished to be discharged and that he was prepared to refuse to eat or drink in order to achieve this. Although it was arguable Mr A should have been made to discharge himself, he had been provided with follow-up care as an out-patient. Mr A had refused to engage with this treatment.
We found Mr A's care and treatment had been reasonable and that the decision to discharge him was also, on balance, reasonable.
Related reading
View Decision Report 201501358 as a PDF (11.07 KB) Updated: March 13, 2018