Investigation reports

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 about the care her elderly mother received over a 10 day period in the Mater Hospital.

We upheld parts of the complaint, including over how the hospital dealt with an incident in which the patient was in an agitated state, and the way it managed her food intake.  We found no failings over the complaints relating to sedation, toileting, and the patient's access to fluids.

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 said that her GP should have diagnosed her daughter's tonsilitis and given her an antibiotic.

We found that the Practice treated the infection appropriately.

The quality of care given to a young person with complex medical needs deteriorated when she turned 18.  

We criticised the Belfast Trust for not doing enough to prepare for her transition to adult care, noting with concern the lack of overall policies for managing this process.

We found that a woman was cared for appropriately in the Maternity Unit of the Royal Victoria Hospital, but said that clinicians should have recorded the discussions they had with her about the progress of her labour.

Our investigation found that the communication between clinicians caring for a patient in Craigavon Area Hospital was inadequate, and that a series of other failures contributed towards his untimely death.