Investigation reports

An investigation into complaint from a man who believed he would not have developed cirrhosis of the liver if he had received proper medical attention has found that his care was 'appropriate and reasonable and in accordance with good medical practice.'

The Ombudsman has upheld elements of a complaint that appropriate steps were not taken to prevent an elderly patient from falling out of a hospital bed, but did not establish a link between her fall and her death the following day.

The Ombudsman has found that the care provided to a patient in respect of pain management, referral to palliative care and review of pain at appointments was reasonable.  However, the investigation identified a failing relating to the lack of a clinical nurse specialist to assist the patient during the final stages of her cancer.

The Ombudsman found that a patient's care and treatment was 'appropriate' after a complaint was made about the management of her fluid intake, her bedsores, and mobility issues whilst in hospital  It was also found it was not a failure by the Belfast Health & Social Care Trust to prevent the patient’s discharge from hospital.

An investigation has found that a failure by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust to properly manage a patient's Macular Service appointments led to her eyesight deteriorating to below the legal driving limit.

We found the South Eastern Health Trust failed to consider a patient's complex medical history and inform the referring GP, or the patient's father, of the decision to downgrade her initial referral.

The Ombudsman has made a recommendation to the Northern Health and Social Care Trust to reduce the risk of a delay in the communication of results to patients, and to patients receiving results in unplanned circumstances, following an investigation into the care of a man with terminal lung cancer.

The Western Health and Social Care Trust has identified a number of learning points following an investigation into its management of a complainant's adoption application.

The Ombudsman recommended that a patient be given an apology after an investigation found he did not receive the fundamental standards of care while being treated in hospital.  Failures included the lack of records relating to the decision to admit him to an escalation bed, and a failure to record hourly observations.