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.

Advanced filters

Type

Health

Parliamentary

Organisation

Location

Health cases only

Concerns

Results

Man's fall in hospital delayed further medical treatment

Summary 454 | September 2014

When Mr L fell in hospital and fractured his hip, the Trust apologised but did not offer a financial remedy.

Delayed response to postoperative complications

Summary 453 | September 2014

Mr S complained that one of his dental crowns was damaged during an operation on his hand. Mr S said this caused him agitation, pain and embarrassment.

Older patient died in hospital when his wish was to die at home

Summary 452 | September 2014

Mrs C complained to the Trust that her husband received poor care and treatment and that staff did not respond properly to his deteriorating condition.

Poor care, communication and involvement of patient in her own care planning

Summary 451 | September 2014

The patient complained about a lack of continuity in their mental health care, and about the Trust's understanding and empathy. The patient was also unhappy with how the Trust handled their complaint.

Failure to follow local procedures when handling a funding request

Summary 450 | September 2014

A woman complained about her local clinical commissioning group's (CCG's) handling of a request for funding for surgery.

Trust did not fail to diagnose a heart problem but could have communicated better

Summary 449 | September 2014

Mrs E complained that the Trust failed to implement an appropriate care plan for a heart condition, or adequately monitor her, for more than two years. She complained that, as a consequence, the Trust failed to identify a number of serious medical conditions that she was suffering from. She said that this denied her the opportunity to have elective surgery and, instead, she became unexpectedly unwell and needed emergency surgery.

Care home room was not fit for purpose

Summary 448 | September 2014

Mrs G complained her husband's room in a care home was not fit for purpose. She also complained about the Trust's district nursing services and the continuing care team. Mrs G was concerned about how her complaint was handled.

Mother paid for private autistic spectrum disorder diagnosis to avoid long wait

Summary 447 | September 2014

Ms T was told that her nine–year–old child would have to wait about a year for an assessment to confirm whether or not she had an autistic spectrum disorder. Ms T decided to pay for a private assessment.

Ambulance was delayed, but this did not cause physical harm to mother and baby

Summary 446 | September 2014

Mrs M started losing blood in late pregnancy and needed an emergency caesarean. Her baby was very poorly, and is now disabled. Mrs M complained that this would not have happened if there had been no delays with the ambulance and at the hospital.

GP practice did not support carer when she tried to manage her stress

Summary 445 | September 2014

Mrs T's husband has Asperger's syndrome, which can be very stressful for her. She complained that the practice did not help her deal with the stress.