A 73-year-old patient who died after breaking her leg in hospital was starved of food for 36 hours ahead of surgery, a health watchdog has found.
Mary McLaughlin suffered the injury in the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, after staff failed to take proper steps to minimise her risk of falling. She was later transferred to the city's Royal Infirmary for surgery, but her operation was repeatedly postponed - meaning she was forced to fast over a number of days.
The Scottish Public Service Ombudsman has now upheld her family's complaints against NHS Lothian, including that they were not properly consulted about their mother being marked 'do not resuscitate'.
Mary Ford, Mrs McLaughlin's daughter, said staff at the Western General initially told her that her mother had fallen out of bed, only to later reveal she had injured herself going to the toilet. The incident happened in March 2013.
Mrs Ford, 52, of Edinburgh, said: "I knew something was not right with what I was being told after she first broke her leg. They said she had crawled over the bed bars. I had to push to get answers. Then, her operation kept being postponed and she was fasted each time.
"She was also marked 'do not resuscitate' after the operation and I had to say to the hospital, 'Why is she DNR? She only has a broken leg'."
Mrs McLaughlin was initially admitted to hospital with pneumonia and suffered confusions as a result of the illness, which she managed to fight off.
Mrs Ford said she believes the leg break and the care her mother received afterwards ultimately led to her death two months later.
She added: "It has been really hard for us to come to terms with. Before this my mother was fully independent. She did her own washing and ironing and walked the dog regularly. But I feel that, with the pain she was in after her fall, she just gave up.
"We are pleased with the report. Nothing will bring my mum back but we wanted to make sure it does not happen to anyone else."
Ombudsman Jim Martin said: "After Mrs McLaughlin fell and was moved to the Royal Infirmary, I found her operation was repeatedly postponed for various reasons.
"This meant she had to fast over a number of days and became very weak. She was starved of food for 36 hours, which I found unreasonable."
He added the approach taken by the hospital was "antiquated practice and lacked individual care".
Mr Martin made a number of recommendations for the health board, including that staff properly assess and provide adequate care for people suffering from confusion; take steps to communicate appropriately with families of such patients; and reviews its practice about providing nutrition and fluids before an operation.
Sarah Ballard Smith, deputy executive nurse director for NHS Lothian, said: "I publicly apologise to [Mrs McLaughlin] for the failings in this case and offer our sincere condolences to her and her family.
"We accept the report from the Ombudsman and are taking the recommendations very seriously. We have reviewed our practices and procedures and have begun implementing measures in relation to the assessment of patients, care planning and during consultations with patients and relatives."
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