A patient at a Belfast hospital was mistakenly given porridge despite the fact he was nil by mouth - meaning he should not be given food as he was at risk of choking. Hospital staff were later found to have made a catalogue of errors that led to his death
Jim O'Dempsey was over-prescribed paracetamol after staff guessed his weight, the report found
His sister Mary Marsella told BBC News NI that the harrowing circumstances surrounding his death will never leave her. Mary Marsella, who is a nurse, questioned what had happened to the ethos of nursing after her brother's careHe could communicate well but once he had dementia he lost his speech, she added."They wouldn't give him pain relief even though it was obvious he was in pain. He was so thin before he died I could lift him but he would scream in pain," she said.
Margaret Kelly said: "Staff on the ward had failed to use any kind of tool to assess and record his possible pain or distress."They also failed to ensure the care of the patient was consistently tailored for a person with dementia and learning disabilities in accordance with GAIN guidelines".
The ombudsman said there was a failure to follow guidelines on how patients with a learning difficulty should be treated. Ms Marsella, a nurse who trained at Belfast City Hospital, said she was ashamed of the hospital over how her brother was treated."He was a human being. I wish they could realise the affect they had on him.
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