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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
Area team handles complaint badly
Summary 433 |
Miss D complained that a nurse practitioner did not diagnose a ruptured aneurysm, and that an area team handled her complaint badly.
Significant failings in administration and complaint handling
Summary 432 |
Miss H had gynaecological surgery at the Trust. After the surgery, her condition came back so she asked whether the surgery had been carried out correctly. She also encountered administrative problems during her period of care and in the complaints process.
Trust failed to give a joint response to a complaint that involved health and social care
Summary 428 |
Mr R complained that his nephew, Mr D, had inappropriate treatment for his Huntington's disease and that the medical team were unwilling to involve professionals with specialist knowledge of this condition. He also complained about the delay in discharging Mr D and the changes that were made to the discharge plan after arrangements had been put in place. Mr R was also unhappy about the way the Trust handled his complaint.
An unreasonable delay in responding to concerns about cataract operation
Summary 427 |
Mr V had surgery for a cataract. He then had a series of unfortunate complications and lost sight in one eye. Although there were no failings in his clinical care, delays in complaint handling caused him distress and denied him timely answers to his concerns.
Prisoner's complaint about changes to his medication
Summary 426 |
Mr E, who was in prison at the time, had been taking medication for a number of years. A GP stopped one form of Mr E's medication and reduced another without informing him, causing him to experience withdrawal symptoms and distress.
Two trusts failed vulnerable patient
Summary 425 |
Mr A and his partner Ms B were left without adequate support in an acute hospital by two Trusts when a crisis team did not arrive. The Trusts did not give alternative support until the next morning.