Decision Report 201609020

Summary

Mr C complained about the care that his wife (Mrs A) received as a patient at both the Western General Hospital and Astley Ainslie Hospital. Mr C was unhappy that Mrs A was occasionally attended to by male nurses. Mr C also felt that Mrs A was given unreasonably high doses of medication.

We took independent advice from a nurse. The adviser explained that male nurses routinely carry out the same care as female nurses, for both female and male patients. This includes personal care such as toileting and washing. The adviser reviewed Mrs A's medical records and found that it was reasonable in the circumstances for her to be attended to, on occasion, by male nurses. The adviser also found that Mrs A was not kept sedated and was given the recommended doses of medication. We did not uphold Mr C's complaints.