Menu

Case summaries

These short, anonymised stories show the profound impact that failures in public services can have on the lives of individuals and their families.

Please note we have not published any new case summaries on this page since 2015. In April 2021 we began publishing our casework decision statements and investigation reports on our decisions portal. 

 

Type
Type
Health cases only
Trust failed to arrange CT scan on baby promptly
Summary 73 |
Mrs D's baby was admitted with a repeated twitch. Although the Trust provided reasonable care and transferred her to a specialist unit appropriately, it did not arrange for a CT scan as quickly as it should have done.
GP failed to consider that cancer might have come back
Summary 71 |
Ms N complained about a consultation with a GP who failed to act on what she said about her symptoms and send her for investigations. Ms N also complained about the GP's attitude at the appointment.
Delay in diagnosis of rare syndrome in older woman
Summary 69 |
Mrs B's daughters complained that there was a lack of communication about the aggressive form of breast cancer that their mother had, a delay in diagnosis of what was causing her rapid decline, poor care and treatment provided in hospital and poor complaint handling.
Healthy ovary removed unnecessarily
Summary 65 |
Mrs F (who was in her 30s) complained that a gynaecologist removed a healthy ovary after failing to adequately assess her and plan appropriate treatment, leading to distress and worry.
Doctor failed to tell dying patient his cancer had spread
Summary 64 |
Mr B's daughter, Ms H, complained that, although doctors knew that her father's prostate cancer had spread, they did not tell him about it until the day before he died. She also complained that his pain was not properly controlled during a hospital admission, and that he was not offered support to help him manage at home.