By Steven Bell

NHS TAYSIDE has been told to apologise to the family of a man who died of a rare lung disease in Dundee’s Ninewells Hospital.

Following an investigation, the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman found that there had been a delay in diagnosis, and that the care provided in the Ninewells respiratory ward was not adequate.

It is the second time in a month that the ombudsman has found against the region’s health board and recommended that bosses apologise to relatives of a deceased patient.

The most recent case followed a complaint about the care and treatment of a man known only as Mr A in the months leading up to his death in 2007.

Mr A had taken ill on holiday in June that year, and was admitted to hospital in September.

His condition deteriorated and he died in the intensive care unit the following month.

His family were told that the cause of death was extensive lung damage caused by a rare autoimmune connective tissue disease.

However, a post mortem later established that the principal cause was respiratory failure due to pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP), an inflammatory infection of the lungs caused by a yeast-like fungus, while connective tissue disease was listed as a secondary cause.

The ombudsman said in his report that the deceased had a “rarely seen presentation of an unusual condition” and that it was reasonable that the actual diagnosis took time with more likely conditions being considered first.

However, he upheld a complaint of delay in diagnosis as there were errors made— such as a failure to investigate lung crackles—which meant opportunities to explore further what the true diagnosis might be were lost.

The deceased’s son also said he had a number of concerns about the care provided on the ward, including an alleged failure to react to his deterioration over a bank holiday weekend.

The ombudsman stated the absence of medical input directly to Mr A over that weekend “gave him no opportunity to ask the questions that were troubling him and his family,” which was a failure in care.

Further, there was a failure to note a deterioration in Mr A’s condition and to obtain an appropriate medical review.

Two other complaints—that there was a failure to provide timely treatment following diagnosis, and that the son’s complaint to NHS Tayside was not handled appropriately—were not upheld.

The ombudsman’s recommendations included an apology to the complainer over the failure to provide adequate care to his father and a review of processes.

All the recommendations have been accepted by the health board, which has pledged to act on them accordingly.

A similar undertaking was given last month after the ombudsman upheld complaints from the family of an elderly man who became dehydrated and died of kidney failure at Ninewells.