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Your search has returned 114 resultsCare and treatment failures contributed to death of patient
A man was admitted to Altnagelvin Hospital with severe abdominal pain.
Our investigation found that a series of delays in his care and treatment, and a failure to manage his sepsis, contributed to his death.
Trust failed to assess patient’s eligibility for Continuing Healthcare
We asked the Northern Trust to apologise to a man after it failed to properly deal with his request for Continuing Healthcare.
Investigation of a complaint against the Western Trust
A woman complained about the care her late husband received in hospital during his treatment for cancer.
Concerns over Trust’s failure to keep notes of discussion with patient
Nursing staff in the Belfast Trust provided appropriate care to a patient before he underwent elective vascular surgery. However, we found it of significant concern that the Trust failed to keep records of a discussion it had with him about the surgery’s risks.
Investigation of a complaint against the Education Authority
A complainant raised concerns about the Education Authority’s failure to investigate a potential child protection concern regarding her son.
Friday 9 August
Our office will be closed to the public on Friday 9 August. Our phone lines and online complaint form will be operational as normal.
We will be open again between the hours of 10.00am and noon on Monday 12 August.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
The care and treatment of a patient in Causeway Hospital
The Northern Trust failed to provide a patient with a nutritional care plan during his time in hospital. We also found that it should have contacted his family to discuss arrangements for a DNACPR.
Bank Holiday Monday
We will be closed to the public on Monday 26 August. If you wish to make a complaint about a provider of a public service you can still do so via our online complaint form.
Our office will be open again on Tuesday 27 August, between the hours of 10.00am and 12 noon.
Improving healthcare through better patient engagement
Shared decision making in a healthcare setting is about involving patients and their families in decisions about their clinical care.
Not only does this foster a more compassionate, effective healthcare service, it is vital for patient safety. By listening to and working with patients, a service is more likely to understand and meet their needs, and be responsive when safety problems are raised.
We often receive complaints from patients and their families that they should have had more involvement in their care. Click on the headings to read summaries of some of our investigations into these complaints:
Patient Partnership Week - Contributing to Better, Safer Care
Patient Partnership Week (2nd – 6th September) is an initiative created by the Patients Association to improve healthcare through better patient engagement.
There is a focus during the week on shared decision making in healthcare. Shared decision means involving patients and their families in decisions about their clinical care.
Not only do health professional codes of conduct state that patients should be told of any risks with recommended treatment, it is also a legal requirement.
Shared decision making enhances both quality of care and fosters more compassionate, effective healthcare. It is also vital for patient safety, because by listening to and working with patients a service is more likely to understand and meet their needs and be responsive when safety problems arise.
At the Public Services Ombudsman for Northern Ireland we receive complaints from patients (predominantly in a hospital setting) that they would have liked greater involvement in their care. While our investigations may find that health care staff treated patients appropriately, we also find occasions in which staff have not involved and listened to patients and their families.
You can read more about these cases here.