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
Delayed referral led to late diagnosis of stomach cancer
Summary 955 |
Mr A complained that the Medical Centre should have referred his wife for the appropriate investigations at an earlier stage, and that its failure to do so led to her diagnosis of terminal stomach cancer being delayed.
GP practice provided appropriate care and did not delay cancer diagnosis
Summary 954 |
Mr F complained that the GP practice did not provide adequate care and treatment to his mother, Mrs F, when she presented with pain in her right leg. He said the GP failed to refer his mother for X–rays or scans. As a result, she was not diagnosed with cancer until it was too late to treat successfully.
Trust dealt adequately with patient's complaint
Summary 953 |
Mrs E suffered a complication when she went into labour. She called 999 but complained that the paramedics did not give her proper treatment and took too long to transfer her to hospital. She gave birth to her son but he died a few days later. This caused Mrs E emotional distress and loss of faith in the 999 service.
A flawed process combined with human error caused distress and financial loss
Summary 950 |
Mrs B complained that the Council failed to give the Trust the contact details of her late brother's next of kin, despite having this information in its possession. She said this led to the Trust cremating her brother's body without the family's knowledge. She said it also led to loss to his estate due to ongoing tenancy payments following his death, and charges for storing his body.
Trust's delay in providing medical records caused stress and anxiety
Summary 949 |
Mr M complained that the Trust's delay of almost three years to give him a copy of the scan images from his echocardiogram caused him anxiety and stress. He wanted a consolatory payment and for the Trust to improve the way it stores and accesses its archived data.
Trust incorrectly diagnosed woman with schizophrenia
Summary 947 |
Ms G complained that she was incorrectly diagnosed with schizophrenia and given medication unnecessarily for many years. She felt that side effects from the medication meant she was unable to work.
A flawed mental health assessment caused family considerable distress
Summary 946 |
Mr and Mrs L complained that the Council and the Trust relied on a 'desktop assessment' that wrongly accused them of physically and emotionally abusing their daughter, Miss L, and withholding money from her. They said the assessment defamed their character, breached their confidentiality, and also led to the inappropriate withdrawal of mental health services for Miss L. This caused considerable distress to the whole family.