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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No failings in treatment of elderly patient

Summary 504 | October 2014

Mrs S had a fractured hip and multiple illnesses. She went into hospital, where she died two weeks later. The Trust gave her good care throughout.

GP and acute trust failed to diagnose cancer

Summary 503 | October 2014

Mrs W complained that she had gone to her GP and A&E at the Trust regularly but they did not properly investigate her symptoms. She was later diagnosed with cancer.

Family distressed by trust's poor record keeping and complaint handling

Summary 502 | October 2014

Mr F was very ill when he went into hospital at the Trust. Ms F, Mr F's sister, complained that the Trust did not discuss his treatment appropriately, and that its poor care and treatment caused his death. We found failings in record keeping and complaint handling.

Doctor gave inadequate regard to lasting power of attorney

Summary 501 | October 2014

Mrs P had a lasting power of attorney that gave her authority to make decisions on her mother, Mrs Q's, behalf. She complained that a doctor pressured her into agreeing that her mother could be moved to another hospital for emergency treatment when this was against Mrs Q's wishes.

Wrong diagnosis led to three years of unnecessary steroids

Summary 500 | October 2014

Mrs M was wrongly diagnosed with lupus. She took steroids for this for three years while the Trust carried out more investigations. Her correct diagnosis of fibromyalgia was found and treated by a different trust.

Mistakes and complaint handling delays led to payment

Summary 499 | October 2014

Mr D's application for continuing care funding was turned down and he believed that NHS England, who made the final decision on it, had not dealt with the application properly or reached the correct decision. Mr D asked us to look into what had happened.

A GP did not change his consulting style for a patient with a learning disability

Summary 498 | October 2014

Mr K went to a GP appointment with his brother, Mr L. Mr K said the GP would have missed important information had he not been there, because he did not allow for Mr L's learning disability.

Trust's clinical management was appropriate but there were shortcomings in nursing care

Summary 497 | October 2014

Mr B complained about clinical management, nursing care and staff attitude during his wife's final hospital admission.

A GP investigated symptoms appropriately, but did not follow prescribing guidelines

Summary 496 | October 2014

Mr B complained that his GP should have referred him for hospital investigations sooner, which might have prevented the acute onset of debilitating neurological symptoms he suffered soon after. He also complained that the GP did nothing but prescribe ibuprofen.

Dying woman did not get adequate pain relief and a trust did not fully acknowledge failings in care

Summary 495 | October 2014

Miss L complained about the care provided to her mother, Mrs M, by two Trusts. She was unhappy about the delay in diagnosing cancer and about poor nursing care, which distressed Mrs M and her family.