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Public bodies should be transparent. They should record the criteria for decision making and give reasons for their decisions.
This was the message given by Ombudsman Margaret Kelly and Deputy Ombudsman Sean Martin at a recent talk given to an event held in the Public Records Office Northern Ireland.
While people don't generally complain about poor record keeping, explained Ms Kelly, a significant proportion of those cases going to the Ombudsman's Further Investigation stage uncover issues with record keeping. This often can be an indicator of other underlying problems.
Stressing how good records protect everyone, both urged members of staff working in public bodies to record their rationale when making key decisions. This not only helps others within the public body but can act as a 'shield' if those decisions are questioned at some point in the future.
Quarterly Bulletin - March 2024
Our Quarterly Bulletin highlights some of our most recent investigation reports and provides other updates on our work.
Easter Holidays
Please note, our Office is closed to the public on Good Friday, Easter Monday, and Easter Tuesday.
Our phone lines are open on Good Friday, but will be closed on Easter Monday and Easter Tuesday.
Our online Complaints Form is available throughout the Easter break.
Failings by Trust caused patient's family upset and frustration
A woman complained about the treatment her father received in Altnagelvin Hospital, including that he should not have had a catheter inserted while he was dying. We upheld parts of the complaint.
Complaint about council’s handling of a planning application
We asked Mid and East Antrim Council to apologise to a man for failures in the way it dealt with a planning application.
Eye examination by nurse was appropriate
A patient in a medical practice complained that her eye infection should have been examined by a GP rather than a nurse. We found that the examination was appropriate, but that a GP should have seen the patient following her request.
GP Practice gave cancer patient the right level of pain relief
We investigated whether an increase in a man’s prescription caused him to attend hospital the following day.
We found the Practice’s increase in the dose fell within the prescribed limits.
Belfast Trust made reasonable efforts to obtain unlicensed medicine
A man questioned why medicine ordered from Scotland to treat his sick wife took two weeks to arrive. We found that the Belfast Trust’s efforts to procure and transport the medicine were reasonable and appropriate.
Public Awareness Survey
We have appointed Opinion Research Services (ORS) to carry out our second Public Awareness Survey.
ORS will be contacting around 600 members of the public throughout March and April 2024 to ask questions about their awareness of NIPSO and their attitudes to complaining about public services.
The information we obtain from the survey will help us decide how to improve our service going forward.
We will publish the survey's findings later in the year. In the meantime, if you would like to know more about the survey please get in touch with us at communications@nipso.org.uk
The report from the first survey, carried out in 2021, is available here.