Hospitals posted out questionnaires to dead people

More than 900 dead patients across Scotland were posted surveys to find out how well the country’s health service was performing.

Among the 33 questions asked was whether doctors listened to patients and what arrangements were made for them to leave the hospital. Yesterday the Scottish Government admitted that the forms were sent out and many returned because patients were dead.

Patient groups branded the mistake as “outrageous and inhuman” and demanded an apology for those affected.

Scotland Patient Association chairwoman Margaret Watt said: “It’s really quite sad. Obviously someone has not been doing their homework right.

“They have probably gone and upset a lot of families again who are distressed enough by the death of their loved ones. It doesn’t bear thinking about.”

Two firms, Quality Health and Patient Perspective, were paid to carry out the poll. But individual health boards were responsible for identifying patients that had died. More than 62,000 people were identified for questioning. Checks managed to identify 2,877 dead people on the list and they were removed.

But 903 deceased patients, including 123 in the Highlands, 76 in the Grampian area, and 23 in the Northern and Western Isles, still slipped through the net.

The Scottish Government said health boards carry out checks on survey samples using their own hospital records and records from the General Register Office for Scotland (GROS).

A spokeswoman said: “We work hard to minimise any risk of surveys being sent to people who have died through the very detailed guidance provided to participating NHS boards. There can also be a time-lag between a death being registered and NHS boards receiving the information”