NHS Grampian forced to apologise after Aberdeen sepsis death

The 53-year-old patient, called Mrs A in the investigation, was diagnosed with cancer after attending Aberdeen Royal Infirmary twice with abdominal pain.

Published 20th Sep 2017

NHS Grampian has apologised to the family of a cancer patient who died after developing sepsis.

The 53-year-old patient, called Mrs A in the investigation, was diagnosed with cancer after attending Aberdeen Royal Infirmary twice with abdominal pain.

After a procedure to drain her kidneys, Mrs A began to show signs of infection.

She then developed the aggressive bacterial infection and later died.

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman found the health board failed to prescribe antibiotics as a precaution to prevent infection.

A spokesperson for NHS Grampian said:

“We have accepted the Ombudsman's recommendations and will implement them in full. This report will be shared in full with the relevant clinical staff.

“We will apologise unreservedly to the family for the areas where our care has fallen short of the high standards we would expect."