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.

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Poor care exacerbated family's distress after mother's death

Summary 885 | March 2015

Delays in Mrs B's cancer diagnosis, failings in communication, and poor nursing care left her Family wondering if her death could have been prevented.

Excessive dose of vitamin D was unlikely to have caused subsequent symptoms

Summary 884 | March 2015

Mr G complained that a doctor at the Trust prescribed him an excessive dose of vitamin D. He said that he consequently suffered symptoms from the toxicity of this medication, which led to deterioration in his mental health. He had to give up his job and this consequently had severe financial implications for him.

Failure to follow up a patient's symptoms delayed cancer diagnosis

Summary 883 | March 2015

Staff at the Trust examined Mrs G when she went to hospital with chest pain and difficulty breathing. They sent her home with antibiotics. The Trust failed to tell her GP about test results, and this delayed her diagnosis of lung cancer.

Trust appropriately discharged older patient from hospital but failed to make sure that he was assessed before he went home

Summary 882 | March 2015

Mrs N complained that the Trust prematurely discharged her husband, Mr N, in early 2013. He was readmitted to hospital the following day and died nine days later.

GP failed to carry out adequate assessments of a patient's symptoms or take into account mental health issues when treating them

Summary 881 | March 2015

Mr K was unhappy that his GP did not carry out sufficient examinations or investigations or give him access to appropriate treatment. He felt that his GP did not take into account his frail mental health when treating him.

Trust wrongly asked for clinical evidence to support claim for NHS continuing healthcare funding

Summary 880 | March 2015

Mr R complained that the Trust had not fully considered Mrs R's (his late mother's) eligibility for NHS continuing healthcare funding. Mr R also complained that the Trust asked his representative to provide evidence and records to support his request for funding.

Poor care of a young adult with Asperger's syndrome and a depressive disorder

Summary 879 | February 2015

Mrs L complained that the Trust failed to diagnose her son Mr H's condition (bipolar depression) and did not correctly adjust his medication. Mrs L believed the Trust's actions caused her son's suicide attempts and a decline in his mental health, and affected his relationship with the family. She was also unhappy about the delays in the Trust's complaints procedure.

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

Summary 878 | February 2015

Mrs W complained that the Trust failed to address the issues she raised in line with NHS complaints procedures.

Consultant cardiologist appropriately stopped patient's medication after a heart operation

Summary 877 | February 2015

Mrs T complained that the consultant cardiologist took her off medication she had been prescribed after an operation to replace a valve in her heart, and this caused her to have a stroke.

Delay in telling cyclist about broken bone

Summary 876 | February 2015

Mr J fell off his bicycle and injured his head. He was taken to the Trust's hospital for emergency treatment.