NHS Highland to make renewed apology to daughter whose mum died following unwanted operation
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A woman who says her life has been “totally destroyed” after her mum died in a “botched” operation is to receive a fresh apology from NHS Highland.
Margaret Lamont (49) said her life had been ruined following the death of her mum, Charlotte Lamont, from Invergordon, who was taken to surgery in Raigmore Hospital without the proper consents.
In spite of two of her complaints being upheld by the Scottish Public Service Ombudsman (SPSO), the health board sent her an apology full of grammatical mistakes and errors.
Only weeks before she died in August 2017, her mother boasted of being well enough to get a letter from the Queen when she reached 100.
Instead, she died in what her daughter described as intolerable pain, shouting out for help.
Ms Lamont said: “My mum had a stoma and she had a small bleed from it. As a precaution we took her to the hospital. The bleed stopped. But for some reason, the medic on call decided to put my mother, an 87-year-old woman who had previously said she didn’t want any more operations, into surgery that lasted many hours.
“During that operation, and a subsequent one to repair the damage done during the first operation, my mum was hacked away at. It was a botched operation and medics at the hospital even admitted that. All of her internal organs were damaged. She herself said that she was ‘done for’ after the second operation.
“She had complications after her surgery and she contracted sepsis. Staff eventually admitted there was nothing else they could do for her.
“She died in the early hours of August 16. In her last two weeks she called out for help as her pain was so severe. There was nothing that anyone could do to help her.”
She said: “I cannot believe that NHS Highland can not even be bothered to send me a proper apology, it is a cut and paste job with no real care for me, or for what has happened to my mum. I am demanding another one.”
SPSO upheld two complaints against the health board, the first in using an out of date consent form for her mother’s operation, and in the way it handled the complaint from Margaret. A third complaint about nursing care and staff was not upheld by the ombudsman.
A spokeswoman for NHS Highland said: “We have fully accepted the recommendations in the report from the SPSO and actions have been implemented including the introduction of a new consent form and a review of our complaints handling process which has resulted in new arrangements.
“Paul Hawkins, our chief executive, is writing an apology to Miss Lamont.”
