Duty of Care

[Mimilamore]

My husband who has many medical conditions had to attend a specialist eye appointment today. As I don’t drive and he would have had drops in his eyes he went by hospital transport as advised NOT to drive.
Foul wet weather and an 8 . 30 appointment. I am his carer but seats are not available for carers.
He is collected at about 7.20. The centre is just outside a village which is near the next town to us.
Some of the roads were flooded and some were closed with diversion signs, the driver had not been to this clinic before.
The route they had to take, it was still quite dark, confused my husband.
Eventually they arrived at the small warehouse park where the clinic is situated, my husband says no sign was visible because of the poor light and driving rain. They missed the turning and ended up on the other side of the park.
My husband unwisely thought he could find the clinic from there and said he would be fine… the driver left him. Husband became confused, walked into flood water covered in leaves as he thought it was firm ground, soaked to mid calf. His energy was very low ( he has HF and AF) and felt panicky. He did however find his way to the clinic by heading for the lights and after some problems getting through the security button arrived at his appointment. Here is okay as they hung his mac up to dry but he still had wet socks and shoes and feet….
He was seen quickly and then had a 3 hour wait for return trip. I understand this… busy people but he was still soaked.
My query is, should the driver have ensured that my husband entered the correct building, he is logged as needing an arm for support.
By the time he got home he was really cold and weak. He didn’t help himself by saying drop off was fine but I would think that the driver had a duty of care to ensure my husband actually went into correct building and through security to the desk.
Would I have grounds for a complaint?
Thank you

Yes you definitely should complain OP.

It's only by good fortune your H even made into the building without mishap. And I'm afraid you still don't know what the after affects of his experience will be on his health.
If he is logged as needing arm support then definitely the driver should have been providing that. And he should have ensured your H entered the building safely.

So your husband holds no responsibility for saying he would be fine to-be dropped where they were?

Drivers are just that, drivers, not carers. Many of them are even just volunteers. He should be grateful that he could access patient transport and not be told to pay for a taxi.

Hospital transport is a volunteer, getting his fuel re-embursed
they are not carers
they are usually retired people trying to help in some way and do something helpful
your Husband said he was fine -
and off the driver went
sounds reasonable to me -
if he needs more support, you’ll need to go with him

Sounds like he shouldn't be driving ever.

How about a taxi and you accompany him next time?

He wasn’t- read the OP

Don't be daft. They are still expected to drop at the correct area safely

He clearly does at times though otherwise OP wouldn't have made the point about the drops. If he can't see across a car park, he shouldn't be driving.

Presumably your husband has capacity to make decisions for himself, he advised the driver he was able to find his own way to the clinic. If anything the driver would be more likely to be acting illegally if he had told your husband he couldn't make his own way to the clinic.

Don't be daft. They are still expected to drop at the correct area safely
He said he was OK to be dropped where he was, only the other side of a park. Why say he was okay if he wasn't! His fault 100%.

That sounds awful OP. Was it

• official hospital transport arranged by the hospital
• something you'd arranged using a transport service, that the hospital use and recommended but don't actually arrange?

From what I understand, hospitals offer some transport which they organise for their vulnerable patients and this should certain organise the right timing for trips and the right care, i.e. someone supporting into the building. In this case you would definately have grounds for complaint.

Also hospitals may offer a volunteer run service which they either set up themselves or by using another volunteer run organisation. They can then suggest that patients and/or relatives/carers use this service, but don't organise the service. In this case your husband or you acting on his behalf is in charge of the journey, and if neither of you asked for him to be dropped closer or picked up earlier, that's on you. If he wasn't quite able to manage just being picked up/dropped off then it wasn't the service you needed.

Can he see properly?

Indeed, what was the driver expected to do? Lock the doors and kidnap him?

Threads like this really makes me wonder what our society has become with every mistake made being blamed on those who are trying to help in the first place

Walk with him to the door

Would I have grounds for a complaint?

No. You were not using the service. If anyone makes a complaint, it should be your husband. But he might not want to do so, because a) he assured the driver he would be fine on his own and b) the driver is probably a volunteer whose likely reaction to being complained about might well be to say 'sod it, I just won't do this any more' which is not in anyone's interest, unless of course you are willing to take over the volunteering.

@sicknessmedi i think the point is are you supposed to ignore someone's agency? How would you feel if a driver wouldn't let you out of the car where you asked.

If he has capacity then it's up to him to express his needs. He needs a bit of a telling off more than you making a complaint OP.

Depends how much of a carer/Carer you are and whether he lacks capacity. If you are his Carer and he lacks capacity, then you need to travel with him. If he has capacity then it’s on him.

Walk with him to the door
OP didn't mention he was blind and since he otherwise drive a car, why would he need to be walked to the door!

Because he needed an arm of support?

He has capacity. He told the volunteer, unpaid driver to leave him where he was. This is on him. Why didn’t you get a taxi and accompany him to the appointment?

OP didn’t say he needed physical support, in fact it was only the return journey for which he needed Hospital Transport due to the drops.

Don't be daft

Explain?

Daft to presume an adult man with full capacity, who usually drives and only didn’t on this occasion because he would have vision problems AFTER the appointment, bears some responsibility for telling a driver (NOT a carer or HCP) who was also unfamiliar with the clinic, to drop him off where he is and he would be fine? You don’t think ANY of this is the responsibility of the OPs husband? Really.

Why did you just pay for a taxi and go with him?