Hospital ward staff 'did not know who to resuscitate'

Reporter

Tuesday 7 August 2012

AN inspection into elderly care at a major hospital has revealed staff on one ward did not know which patients were classed as "do not resuscitate".

Custom byline text:

VICTORIA WELDON

The report by Healthcare Improvement Scotland showed that a mix-up over patients being moved into different rooms meant staff at Monklands Hospital in North Lanarkshire did not know who was to be resuscitated in an emergency and who was not. The confusion came about because staff marked up patients' rooms Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) instead of relying on their individual records.

Inspectors also noted that documentation in some DNACPR cases was not completed correctly.Patient groups and politicians reacted angrily to the potentially life-threatening failures, branding them horrifying and extremely concerning. Dr Jean Turner, executive director of the Scotland Patients Association, said: "It's horrifying that they didn't know exactly who was to be resuscitated and who wasn't. "When it's been decided that there's nothing more can be done for an elderly patient and the family has been notified, it's a very sensitive issue which staff should be paying close attention to."Labelling the room that the patient is in as 'do not resuscitate' is not enough. You must have in place the policies and the systems to make sure that errors don't occur."It's quite frightening to think that they might not. I certainly wouldn't like to be a patient on that ward if they lacked this knowledge."It shows you just how poor the communication was between staff. I hate to think that this could have cost lives."Inspectors noted seven areas of strength for the hospital, 15 areas in need of improvement and four areas in need of continuing improvement.Other areas in need of improvement included taking preventative measures to stop the development of pressure sores, rather than simply reacting when they occur, improving staff training and ensuring elderly patients are screened for cognitive impairment.Areas where the hospital performed well included the use of dementia champions to improve the care of dementia sufferers. Siobhan McMahon, Labour MSP for Central Scotland, said: "Although the report highlights some areas of strength, it also identifies significant areas for improvement."Rosemary Lyness, NHS Lanarkshire's director of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions, said: "The inspectors highlighted areas for improvement, which we are addressing as a priority."

Contextual targeting label:

Health

Commenting & Moderation

We moderate all comments on HeraldScotland on either a pre-moderated or post-moderated basis. If you're a relatively new user then your comments will be reviewed before publication and if we know you well then your comments will be subject to moderation only if other users or the moderators believe you've broken the rules, which are available here.

Moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Please be patient if your posts are not approved instantly.

Hospital ward staff 'did not know who to resuscitate'

Commenting & Moderation

MOST READ

SPONSORED LINKS

MOST COMMENTED