NIPSO Individual Decisions
457 published decisions from the NI Public Services Ombudsman (Jul 2000–Mar 2026). The Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman investigates complaints about NI government departments, agencies, councils, and public bodies. Source: nipso.org.uk.
457
Total Decisions
192
Investigated
139
Upheld
72%
Upheld (of investigated)
Showing 50 results matching "Northern Health and Social Care Trust"
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202003167)
Health & Social Care
Upheld
A woman complained about a Trust’s decision not to allow her son to be his brother’s paid carer. We found that social workers provided the family with appropriate support, but asked the Trust to re-examine its decision as we could not be sure it had correctly applied Departmental guidance.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202002533)
Health & Social Care
Upheld
We asked the Northern Trust to make sure patients who have difficulties relaying their medical histories are accompanied when they are assessed in hospital Emergency Departments.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202000264)
Health & Social Care
Upheld
We asked the Northern Health Trust to apologise to a man after we found it failed to properly monitor a growth on his lungs and to offer him appropriate non-surgical treatment.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202001015)
Health & Social Care
Upheld
A woman complained that her late brother was not given the best possible chance to recover following gall bladder surgery. We upheld parts of the complaint, and were critical of the serious adverse incident report prepared by the Northern Trust.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202000283)
Health & Social Care
Upheld
We investigated a man’s concerns about the death of his elderly mother. We found that while she suffered from a number of medical conditions which could have caused her death at any time, the immediate cause was Covid-19.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202001919)
Health & Social Care
Upheld
A woman complained about how long it took the Northern Health Trust to provide her late son with a routine test for heart disease, and about its subsequent failure to monitor his condition.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-201915506)
Health & Social Care
Other
A Trust’s failure to accurately report on a patient’s CT scan meant she and her family could not prepare for her end-of-life care.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202000508)
Health & Social Care
Other
Delays by the Northern Trust in replying to a woman’s telephone calls added to her anxiety about her mother’s care. We recommended that the Trust apologise to the woman and make improvements to its complaint handling procedures.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202000844)
Health & Social Care
Other
A woman complained about her father’s treatment in hospital during the last weeks of his life. We found he was looked after properly, but were critical that consultants did not respond to a request from the woman to discuss his care plan.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-201916865)
Health & Social Care
Other
We found no failings by the Antrim Area Hospital in the care and treatment of a patient with severe heart valve disease.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202000487)
Health & Social Care
Other
We upheld a number of complaints against the Northern Health Trust, including that hospital staff did not give an elderly patient enough fluids, nor appropriately monitor her over a 24-hour period.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-20196394)
Health & Social Care
Other
We criticised the way in which the Northern Trust carried out a health check to a patient three weeks before her death. We found the outcome for the patient may have been different if the treatment and subsequent record keeping had met relevant standards.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-201916077)
Health & Social Care
Other
The parents of a 20 month old boy complained about the care he received in Antrim Area Hospital, saying that they had to leave the Emergency Department as they feared staff were inept. Our investigation found that his treatment was acceptable and within the Trust’s guidelines.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-21518)
Health & Social Care
Other
We found that the Northern Health and Social Care Trust carried out a safeguarding investigation broadly in line with its procedures, but were critical that the investigation did not find out how the resident sustained bruising during her time in the home.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-19483)
Health & Social Care
Other
We partially upheld a complaint that a patient contracted sepsis because he was released too early from Antrim Area Hospital. We asked the hospital to apologise for its failings, and to review its procedures on discharge of patients from the ward in question.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-18433)
Health & Social Care
Other
We recommended that the Northern Health & Social Care Trust, either individually or collectively with others, put in place the necessary arrangements for it to appropriately assess all future requests for Continuing Healthcare.
Northern Health and Social Care TrustBelfast Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-17834,21521)
Health & Social Care
Other
We recommended that the Northern Health Trust apologise to a complainant after our investigation found failings in the care and treatment of her baby son and its handling of a Serious Adverse Incident (SAI) investigation.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-19583)
Health & Social Care
Other
The Ombudsman has found that a patient who was treated in Antrim Area Hospital A&E department should have had her pain score taken on her initial assessment and assessed at regular intervals. However, the investigation also found that on the basis of the symptoms an x-ray and treatment with painkillers was appropriate.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-17125)
Health & Social Care
Other
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.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-18943)
Health & Social Care
Other
An investigation has found that the Northern Health and Social Care Trust failed to seek a cardiology opinion in relation to a patient before deciding to discharge him from hospital. The Ombudsman recommend that the patient be given a full written apology by the Trust Chief Executive for this failure in clinical care and treatment.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-18869)
Health & Social Care
Other
An investigation by the Public Services Ombudsman has found that the Northern Health and Social Care Trust did not properly monitor a patient’s food and drink intake during her stay in the Antrim Area Hospital.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-proper-care-and-treatment-patient-trust-may-have-improved-her)
Health & Social Care
Other
An investigation has found that the Northern Health and Social Care Trust failed to provide adequate care and treatment to a patient who died of multiple organ failure in the Causeway Hospital, Coleraine on 26 September 2015.
Northern Health and Social Care TrustBelfast Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-investigation-complaint-medical-staffs-slow-response-led-patient)
Health & Social Care
Other
Ombudsman finds that man’s ‘red-eye’ should have been monitored more closely, and that an earlier diagnosis would have improved the chances of his vision being retained.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-17714)
Health & Social Care
Other
Health and Social Care Trust agrees to Ombudsman ‘action plan’ to improve the way it deals with families during investigations into Serious Adverse Incidents.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-18545)
Health & Social Care
Other
The care and treatment provided to a complainant by the Accident & Emergency Department at Causeway Hospital was 'in accordance with good medical practice.'
Upheld
139
NIPSO found fault with the organisation complained about.
Not Upheld
53
Complaint investigated but no fault found.
Closed / Other
265
Closed after initial enquiries, resolved early, or withdrawn.
Most complained-about:
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust (96), Northern Health and Social Care Trust (48), Western Health and Social Care Trust (44), South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust (41), GP (30).
Investigated Decisions Over Time
Excludes 265 closed after initial enquiries. Quarterly, by outcome.
Decisions by Sector
Sectors by Upheld Rate
Which sectors have the highest upheld rate?
| Sector | Decisions | Upheld | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health & Social Care | 336 | 112 | 33% |
| Central Government | 33 | 6 | 18% |
| Local Government | 31 | 9 | 29% |
| Education | 28 | 5 | 18% |
| Housing | 21 | 7 | 33% |
| Health | 2 | 0 | 0% |
Organisation Accountability
Top 20 organisations by upheld rate (minimum 5 investigated decisions). Based on 192 investigated decisions (excludes 265 closed after initial enquiries). Benchmark: 72% average across all investigated decisions. Sparklines show annual decision volumes 2000–2026.
| # | Organisation | Trend | Investigated | Upheld | Not Upheld | Upheld Rate | vs avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern Ireland Housing Executive | 7 | 6 | 1 | 86% | +14pp | |
| 2 | Northern Health and Social Care Trust | 30 | 24 | 6 | 80% | +8pp | |
| 3 | Western Health and Social Care Trust | 26 | 20 | 6 | 77% | +5pp | |
| 4 | Southern Health and Social Care Trust | 13 | 10 | 3 | 77% | +5pp | |
| 5 | Belfast Health and Social Care Trust | 44 | 31 | 13 | 70% | -2pp | |
| 6 | South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust | 14 | 9 | 5 | 64% | -8pp | |
| 7 | GP | 23 | 13 | 10 | 57% | -15pp | |
| All-organisation benchmark | 72% | — | |||||