Family unable to grieve after 'hospital nightmare'

A pistillate says her household person been incapable to grieve the decease of her grandma aft a "hospital nightmare".

Lilian Evans, 90, was taken to Wrexham Maelor infirmary connected 25 August aft vomiting blood, but A&E unit admitted her for a UTI she did not have, said her granddaughter.

Rachael Evans, 37, said the deficiency of attraction fixed to her grandma was "unbelievable" - including giving her penicillin contempt an allergy and diagnosing her with crab and Parkinson's illness without informing the family.

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board apologised for the failures.

Rachael, from Wrexham, said her grandma was an autarkic pistillate who loved her King Charles Spaniel, Meg.

Lilian, who celebrated her 90th day the week earlier she was admitted to hospital, walked 3 times a time - adjacent aft Meg had to beryllium enactment down.

Rachael said Lilian had dementia and gave A&E unit incorrect accusation erstwhile she arrived - thing she discovered aft applying for her grandmother's records aft she died.

"There was not 1 trial that showed that she had a UTI, they wholly glossed implicit the information that she was vomiting blood," said Rachael.

"That didn't look to beryllium an contented for them, and they conscionable went on with it adjacent though they wrote down that she didn't person immoderate symptoms of the UTI."

Rachael said helium gran was "fully continent" earlier she went to hospital.

"When we went successful the adjacent morning, she was successful a immense pad - not adjacent a nappy, it didn't adjacent connected either side."

Lilian mislaid her appetite and truthful she was fed nutrient-rich drinks, but pick gave her stomach-aches truthful they requested the foodstuff ones.

"Whenever we'd go, they'd person the pick ones successful beforehand of her for her to drink. I kept saying these are going to marque her sick and springiness her a tummy ache," Rachael said.

"The nurses would marque her down them."

Lilian's medicine was near successful an unlocked cabinet, immoderate of which "could person earnestly wounded idiosyncratic if they'd taken them", said Rachael.

She repeatedly asked unit to fastener them away, but would find them inactive unlocked.

Rachael said she recovered retired her grandma was connected end-of-life attraction erstwhile she happened to inquire a infirmary unit subordinate however she was doing, contempt cipher informing the family.

"It was perfectly horrific," she said.

"Every time we'd spell and there'd beryllium thing else.

"If I didn't person the grounds here, I don't deliberation anybody would really judge america arsenic to what really went connected there."

In the days starring up to Lilian's death, a chap diligent tested affirmative for Covid.

Lilian was fixed a lateral travel trial connected 18 September which was positive, past a 2nd study said the aforesaid trial had been registered successful mistake - "please ignore", it said.

"They went connected to springiness her humor thinning injections, and she started vomiting up humor again," Rachael said.

"If she didn't person Covid, she wouldn't person needed the humor thinning injections, she wouldn't person started bringing up the humor again."

On the 20 September Lilian died, the origin of decease fixed arsenic pneumonia.

"The contented surrounding her decease was precise suspicious to me. I inactive haven't got to the bottommost of it," said Rachael.

When Rachael and her household received Lilian's infirmary records they discovered she had been "on an intensive crab absorption plan".

In the notes of a physiotherapist that she had been diagnosed with Parkinson's illness and had received humor tests which indicated she had a bosom attack, which Rachael said they had nary thought about.

"We inactive don't cognize if she did oregon if she didn't, due to the fact that the infirmary are present refusing to reply my questions," she said.

As good arsenic this, the records amusement connected the nighttime Lilian died astatine astir 22:00, the nighttime unit signed to accidental they had checked connected her astatine 00:30, 03:30 and 06:30 the adjacent morning.

This leads Rachael to judge unit signed the signifier astatine the commencement of their displacement truthful they did not person to cheque connected Lilian again.

"This was heart-breaking arsenic my gran was precise anxious truthful to deliberation of her connected her ain shouting for assistance and not getting immoderate is awful," Rachael said.

The records besides showed that contempt A&E unit noting Lilian was capable to marque her ain decisions, a caregiver aboriginal applied for a Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards order.

An appraisal was taken and it was decided Lilian did not request this, nevertheless successful pursuing reports unit notation 1 being successful place.

Rachael, her mother, begetter and uncle each person powerfulness of attorney, but they were not told, Rachael said.

In July she had a gathering with the wellness committee aft complaining astir her grandmother's care.

She said they tried to "gloss over" the problems and told her they would "look into it" but aft 11 weeks told her they were not going to reply her questions.

Rachael said the hospital's connection and documentation were "really bad" - often getting Lilian's sanction and details wrong.

"This has taken implicit - conscionable waiting - it's been implicit a twelvemonth present since my gran died, and we've inactive not got each of the answers.

"It is precise hard to grieve erstwhile you don't truly cognize what's happened - they didn't archer america thing erstwhile she was successful hospital, and present they're refusing to archer america aft she's died."

Carol Shillabeer, main enforcement of Betsi, said: “On behalf of the Health Board I sincerely apologise to Ms Evans' household for the failures identified successful her attraction and treatment, we fell abbreviated of the modular that should beryllium expected."

The lawsuit has been referred to the ombudsman, who has been approached for comment.