Investigation reports

A patient in the Western Trust said her hip surgery caused her ongoing pain, leaving her with anxiety and depression.

We found the Trust correctly performed the surgery and gave the patient appropriate post-operative care, but that it should have checked for signs of infection after a first operation failed.

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.

A teenage boy waited 18 months to see a consultant after he was diagnosed with arthritis and ruptured ligaments. 

We asked the Trust to apologise for the failures which caused the delay.

The Western Health Trust should have done more to ease a patient's discomfort during an endoscopy procedure.

We asked it to apologise, and to remind clinical staff of the importance of following guidelines on pain management, obtaining consent, and on communicating with patients and their families.

A woman complained that her daughter, who had autism, anxiety and depression, was not cared for properly during her 7 months stay in a children’s home.

A care home resident complained that the home she was in was not suitable for her needs.

We noted the Western Trust's efforts to find the woman a more appropriate home, and recommended it continue its search for alternative options.

A woman complained about the treatment her daughter received when she attended the Emergency Department of Altnagelvin Hospital.  We found that the plan to conduct an ECG and observe the patient was reasonable, but asked the Trust to apologise for the nursing behaviours and attitudes she encountered in the hospital.

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.