A FIFE man who complained about the treatment of his late wife in Victoria Hospital is still waiting for a response from NHS Fife – after more than 80 days.

The devastated widower, who did not want to be identified, claims his wife, who at the time was terminally ill with lung cancer, was left without food, water, or vital medication for more than 13 hours while on a ward.

The nine-page report was initiated by the patient on May 20 and was later continued by her husband following her death on May 27, which he claims a doctor told him was caused by inadequate care by hospital staff.

He had read an article in the Dunfermline Press, our sister title, where MSP Alex Rowley slammed the health board after they revealed that just 2.6 per cent of Stage 2 complaints, those which are more complex, were being answered within target.

He described that on one occasion, when his wife asked how long she had to live, a doctor replied, ‘How long is a piece of string?’, and, on another, which formed the basis for the complaint, she was being treated for oedema and checked herself out of the facility before the end of the day after feeling “vulnerable and unsafe”.

On arrival at the hospital, he says they were left in a small waiting room, despite arriving at an agreed time, and were told, after two-and-a-half hours, that there had been no bed prepared for her.

“The whole experience was a disgrace and now I have lost my wife after 52 years of marriage,” he said.

“In the end, she wanted to die on her own terms, in her own home, not on some nondescript ward. She got what she wanted.”

The case has now been taken to Mr Rowley, who highlighted that NHS Fife was far from meeting the Scottish Government target of 50 per cent of Stage 2 complaints being addressed within 20 working days by March 2023.

He confirmed that his office was currently helping a number of constituents facing similar issues, adding: “This case highlights why it is important that when a person raises a complaint, the complaint is dealt with in a professional and timely manner and, sadly, NHS Fife is spectacularly failing to address the majority of complaints.”

Janette Keenan, director of nursing at NHS Fife, said: “While we are unable to discuss matters relating to individual people, we would like to offer our most sincere condolences to the family on the loss of their loved one. As we have acknowledged previously, we have not been able to respond as quickly as we would like to complaints, however, a range of measures have been implemented to help us respond more quickly moving forward.

“Where a report is likely to take longer to compile, we also provide regular updates on the progress of each complaint investigation.

“Stage 2 complaints are often hugely complex and require us to conduct a thorough investigation alongside the relevant clinicians involved. With the unprecedented pressures on services, and indeed on clinical teams at the present time, providing a thorough and detailed response within 20 working days remains incredibly challenging.

“Despite this, there continues to be a month-on-month improvement in the speed of our response to complaints. All the feedback we receive from patients and their families helps us to improve the standard of services we provide, and we remain committed to ensuring all complaints are responded to as quickly as possible.”