by David Carter
24 August 2010
A woman who successfully argued that her ill son was unnecessarily kept in hospital has been awarded £1500 in compensation.
The woman, known only as Mrs P, had to travel to Rookwood Hospital in Cardiff every day in order to feed her son, who was suffering from the degenerative neurological condition Huntingdon's Disease, despite him receiving apparent 24-hour care. She argued that the great inconvenience of the constant travelling, the unnecessary length of her son's time as an inpatient, plus his inadequate care, entitled her to seek a compensation claim.
In his report the ombudsman for Wales said: "Turning to Mrs P's complaints about the length of time her son was in hospital and the arrangements for his future care, (the ombudsman) found that there had been a failure to carry out adequate assessments, a failure to take into account all the relevant facts of the case, and that there had been excessive delay."
The NHS apologised unreservedly.