Trust took too long to respond to complaint

What happened

Mr T went to a sleep disorder clinic at the Trust after he had had poor sleep for several months. His consultant was late so he did not see a doctor on the day of his appointment, and staff gave him different reasons for the delay.

Although Mr T complained about what had happened on the day of his appointment, he did not get a detailed response until over seven months later.

The Trust offered Mr T £50 to cover his expenses and inconvenience, which he declined.

What we found

We partly upheld this complaint. Although the Trust dealt with Mr T's complaint reasonably, the initial delay in responding to him was unnecessary and unreasonable.

Putting it right

The Trust acknowledged and apologised for the failings we identified. It agreed to pay Mr T £150 compensation for the inconvenience and distress its failure caused. It also agreed to explain what it had done to ensure it had learnt the lessons from the failings in complaint handling we identified.