When Mrs B was referred for fertility treatment, the Trust unreasonably delayed this. It also failed to tell her about the progress of her appeal for extra funding when she turned 40 and became ineligible for NHS funded treatment.
What happened
Mrs B was 39 when she was referred to the Trust for fertility treatment. She saw a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist and had a laparoscopy (a procedure to look at the contents of her abdomen and pelvis). Because of an administrative error, her next appointment was delayed and she did not start her first cycle of treatment until eight months after her referral.
When Mrs B turned 40, she no longer qualified for NHS funded fertility treatment. Her consultant lodged an appeal for extra funding because of the delays, but this was eventually declined. However, he did not tell her this until 16 months later.
What we found
The Trust unreasonably delayed Mrs B's progress through her treatment, but there were no failings in the treatment for a condition she developed.
Communication with Mrs B during her appeal was poor, and the Trust did not handle her complaint in line with the appropriate regulations.
Putting it right
The Trust apologised and paid Mrs B £2,000 to compensate for the failings. It put a plan in place to learn lessons from the failings and make sure they did not happen again.
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
Cornwall
Did not apologise properly or do enough to put things right
Apology
Compensation for non-financial loss
Recommendation to learn lessons or draw up an action plan