Trust managed patient's complaint adequately but gave misleading information in its response

What happened

While she was an inpatient at the Trust, Mrs W complained about her care after an operation. A ward sister attempted to provide local resolution while Mrs W was still in hospital. This was done and the complaint was closed.

After she was discharged, Mrs W complained to the Trust that her complaint had not been handled in accordance with NHS procedures, and that parts of her complaint had been left unresolved.

What we found

We did not uphold this complaint. The Trust behaved appropriately when it handled Mrs W's complaint. It carried out a thorough investigation and resolved matters to her satisfaction.

Unfortunately the Trust, in its final response letter to the complaint gave Mrs W incorrect and misleading information, which made her think that the complaint had not been handled appropriately. This meant that the complaint was investigated again.

The Trust carried out a thorough reinvestigation and once it realised the mistake in the communication it had sent Mrs W, it immediately apologised.