The son of a Suffolk great-grandmother is hopeful the ‘truth will come out’ following the launch of a case review concerning potential failings in the care she received at West Suffolk hospital.
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO), which considers complaints about NHS care, has launched a case review into potential failings in the care provided to Sudbury woman Maureen Mayes.
Ms Mayes died at the Bury St Edmunds hospital on March 7, 2021 from a respiratory tract infection after being taken by ambulance following a fall at her home.
However, her son Karl Mayes, 57, told the EADT in February that he was sceptical about the care the 83-year-old received from the moment she was taken in, as she had pneumonia, but ended up with severe respiratory failure.
Although the hospital conducted its own review into Ms Mayes’ care and hospital bosses apologised, Mr Mayes took his concerns to the PHSO, which has now appointed a senior caseworker to look into the complaints.
If the PHSO decides there’s a case to answer, a full investigation will be carried out into the events leading up to the death of the mother-of-four.
“What we want is for the truth to come out. Most people would not expect an elderly relative to go into hospital and suffer the circumstances that my mother did.
“She wasn’t being looked after to the effect that she was on the wrong treatment. She was actually being put to her death bed, but it is meant to be the other way round when you go into hospital. You should be being prevented from dying,” Mr Mayes said on Wednesday.
Particular concerns raised in February about Ms Mayes’ care included confusion over antibiotics, with the hospital recording she had a Doxycycline allergy when ambulance staff had been told she was allergic to all antibiotics except Doxycycline, which treats pneumonia.
In addition, her family were concerned she had been overdosed on diazepam, leaving her feeling drowsy and weak, no mental capacity assessment was conducted and she was not weighed at the hospital.
In February, the hospital’s chief executive Craig Black offered his 'sincere condolences' to Ms Mayes’ family.
He said: “We take all complaints extremely seriously. We are open and transparent with families around investigations like this and are keen to work with them to understand their concerns.”
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