Investigation reports

A parent who acted as a carer for her son with special needs complained that a six-month delay in her family being allocated a social worker impacted her financially and mentally.

We upheld the complaint but found no evidence of bias against the parent by the Trust. 

We investigated a man’s concerns about the death of his elderly mother. 

We found that while she suffered from a number of medical conditions which could have caused her death at any time, the immediate cause was Covid-19.

A woman complained about how long it took the Northern Health Trust to provide her late son with a routine test for heart disease, and about its subsequent failure to monitor his condition.

We made a number of recommendations to the Belfast Trust after we found failures in the way it treated a patient with a fractured leg. 

We concluded that delays in removing her leg cast and in monitoring her pressure sores caused sepsis and contributed significantly towards her premature death.

The Lagan Valley Hospital carried out reasonable and appropriate investigations to determine the source of a patient’s abdominal pain.

A man whose son lived in supported housing complained about the care provided by the Belfast Trust. 

We upheld his complaint.

Our investigation found failings in the care and treatment provided to a cancer patient by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust.

We found failures in the care provided by the Southern Trust to an elderly woman and her daughter.

This investigation found that the system for communicating with patients on healthcare waiting lists is in ‘disarray’, and concluded that significant and repeated failures across the system amounted to ‘systemic maladministration’.

It urged the Department of Health to work with Health Trusts, GPs and others to address the failings.