Decision report 201003212

Summary
Mrs C had concerns about the treatment which her late mother (Mrs A) received at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in March 2010. Mrs A had been admitted for an elective kidney removal and suffered a stroke following the surgery. Mrs A remained in hospital until her death later that month. Her daughter had concerns that the staff should have transferred Mrs A to a specialist stroke unit for treatment and that the level of communication from the staff was inadequate.

We obtained clinical advice in this case and made the conclusion that Mrs A’s stroke could not have been predicted after surgery and that the treatment provided during the operation and the subsequent management plan following the stroke was appropriate.

In regards to communication issues, there was evidence of frequent communication between the staff and the relatives. We also found that the board had already apologised if some of the explanations which were provided to the relatives were not fully understood. We did not uphold the complaints.