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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
Confusion over lost documents
Summary 473 |
Mr K complained that UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) lost his documents and did not properly compensate him for replacing them. Mr K said that he missed out on a holiday and a job opportunity overseas.
Border Force did not fully understand its own processes
Summary 472 |
Ms R complained that Border Force refused to allow her to reclaim her VAT through a particular process. She said that when she complained, Border Force failed to give her appropriate explanations and referred to the wrong guidance. Ms R said she wanted to prevent the problem happening again.
Grandparents frustrated by court case delays
Summary 469 |
Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) failed to follow its procedures when it handled Mr and Mrs B's case. The delay and the ineffective management of their case caused Mr and Mrs B anxiety and frustration.
Cafcass officer made speculative comments in report written for court
Summary 466 |
Mr N complained that a report written by the Cafcass officer assigned to his case was inaccurate and misleading and contained inappropriate comments about him. He complained that the officer had called him a liar in the report and also complained about Cafcass's handling of his complaint about these matters.
Tax credits award was not updated
Summary 465 |
Mr A twice gave HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) correct information but it did not act on it, and then overpaid him.