Investigation reports

A man said his autistic son’s health deteriorated because the Western Trust did not properly address his needs. Our investigation found that the Trust failed to provide a reasonable level of care and support to both the boy and his family over a 21-year period.

A patient complained that the Trust should have changed her waiting list status to ‘urgent’ following a request by her GP.  We did not uphold the complaint.

A Health Trust’s failure to carry out tests on a man with an undiagnosed heart condition left his family with unanswered questions following his death.

A man claimed that prison authorities unfairly denied him treatment for his opioid addiction.  We did not uphold the complaint but made observations on the case for the Trust to consider going forward.

The daughter of an elderly cancer patient complained that her syringe driver was removed in the days before her death, causing her to experience unnecessary pain.

The Western Trust approved two special chairs for an autistic child to use in school without properly assessing his needs. The Trust should also have given the school clearer instructions on how the chairs were to be used.

A woman complained about the treatment her late mother received in Altnagelvin Hospital following a fall. 

A man’s cancer treatment was interrupted by the Covid pandemic in March 2020. We found that he should have been reviewed by clinicians as soon as possible after the resumption of face-to-face appointments. 

A woman questioned why it took so long for her father to receive surgery in Altnagelvin Area Hospital.  She also claimed that poor communication between staff contributed to his untimely death. 

A woman raised concerns with the Western Trust about how her late mother was treated in a care home.  We found significant failings in the way the Trust investigated her complaint.