Portknockie man still searching for answers over late mother’s care
A GRIEVING Portknockie man has talked of his continued frustration by the lack of answers to concerns about his late mother’s care.
In February, the Northern Scot spoke to Ian Runcie about his late mum Kathleen, who passed away on November 8, 2020 at the age of 91 in Seafield Hospital, Buckie from metastatic bowel cancer.
She also suffered from sundown dementia – which can cause hallucinations, distress and anxiety in sufferers – a condition she had been diagnosed with some two years previously.
Ian raised many serious concerns over his mother’s care, ranging from the length of time it took to diagnose the cancer to the care she received from Ardach Medical Centre in Buckie leading ultimately, he believes, to her suffering an “undignified” end. Following his mum’s passing, he raised these as formal complaints with the GP surgery and, being deeply unsatisfied with the response, took the matter to the Scottish Public services Ombudsman (SPSO).
However, he was to be left bitterly disappointed when the SPSO concluded that the Ardach actions had been “reasonable in the circumstances” and close the case, thereby shutting off Ian’s last official route of complaint.
He said: “I’m still very upset by the way the SPSO have handled my mum’s case.
“When I asked the SPSO who they liaised with at Ardach I was told that due to data protection they couldn’t tell me and that the case was closed.
“I strongly believe there were discrepancies in the reports but it has been swept under the carpet. Having a case closed without answering the full enquiry leads me to believe it’s a cover-up.
“As far as I’m concerned, not only the time it takes to to to make an enquiry but the whole SPSO stinks.
“The feedback I’ve had rom the public and close friends since the Northern Scot and Banffshire Advertiser covered my case has been overwhelming. However, that still does answer my questions - you can’t just close a case and sweep things under the carpet.”
