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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Care provided met accepted standards

Summary 173 | May 2014

The care and treatment provided to a dying woman was in line with accepted standards, although communication with her family could have been better.

Doctors missed opportunity to provide better outcome for patient

Summary 172 | May 2014

Mrs M's daughter, Mrs A, complained that doctors did not act on signs of postoperative complications soon enough, and that the family were provided with false assurances about Mrs M's condition.

Poor complaint handling by trust

Summary 171 | May 2014

Mr P complained to us about the way that the Trust handled the complaints he made after he wrote to them asking for information.

Care home misled complainant about amount of physiotherapy given to her son and PCT failed to properly investigate complaint

Summary 170 | May 2014

J, Mrs K's son, had an acquired brain injury and was assessed for physiotherapy during his placement in a care home run by Voyage Care. J's mother became convinced that he was not receiving the amount of therapy he needed. Eventually the dispute resulted in a breakdown in trust and the termination of J's placement.

Delayed diagnosis of cleft palate in three–year–old girl with speech problems

Summary 169 | May 2014

The Trust failed to carry out relevant investigations and assessments and this led to a delayed diagnosis of a cleft palate for a little girl.

Trust forced patient to accept restrictions on his liberty

Summary 168 | May 2014

Mr B was admitted to the Trust as a voluntary patient but was forced to accept limits on the amount of time he could be in the gardens of the hospital. He stayed at the Trust because of threats that he would be detained if he tried to leave.

Dentist failed to document that treatment options and risks were explained

Summary 167 | May 2014

Mr F sought emergency dental treatment because of pain in a tooth that supported a bridge.

Trust failings delayed funding application

Summary 166 | May 2014

A Trust's delays in putting forward a funding application influenced a patient's decision to seek private treatment.

Poor communication meant that family did not get chance to say goodbye before mother died

Summary 165 | May 2014

When an older patient died unexpectedly, her family complained about whether her illness could have been treated sooner.

Trust failed to properly manage patient's pain, and gave incorrect information in complaint response

Summary 164 | May 2014

When Mr T was admitted to hospital, his pain was not managed as well as it should have been.