NIPSO Individual Decisions

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.

A woman whose husband was in significant pain and was feeling suicidal said he shouldn’t have been discharged from hospital.

We found that the Western Health Trust should have diagnosed a patient at an earlier stage, given his symptoms, test results, and observations.

We asked the Western Health Trust to reflect on what it might have done differently in the treatment of an elderly patient in Altnagelvin Hospital.

An investigation into complaints about the end of life care received by a man in the South West Acute Hospital has found that he was treated appropriately by medical staff.

We found that a patient who was showing signs of sepsis should have been referred to a senior clinician in Altnagelvin Hospital. We asked for the Trust to apologise to the complainant, and that it raises awareness of sepsis among junior doctors.

We found that although a cancer patient’s treatment plan was in line with relevant standards, the Altnagelvin Hospital failed to keep proper records relating to her care, including losing a number of key medical documents.  We also asked it to apologise to the patient’s daughter over the way it responded to queries about her mother’s care.

A complainant raised concerns about the Trust removing her diagnosis of PTSD.  We found that the Trust’s actions were appropriate.

We asked the Western Health and Social Care Trust to use a Learning Disability Liaison Nurse to provide training to staff who care for patients with disabilities. We also recommended it develop an online information resource for staff to help them care for other vulnerable adults.

We asked the Western Health and Social Care Trust to use the newly appointed Learning Disability Acute Liaison Nurse to ensure that appropriate training is provided to staff who care for patients with disabilities. We also recommended it develop an online information resource for staff to help them care for other vulnerable adults.

We found a number of failures in our investigation into the Trust's care of a nursing home patient.

We found that the Trust failed to follow any multidisciplinary assessments when it assessed a patient for  Continuing Healthcare.

We investigated a complaint from a man who said that his mother should not have been sent from hospital back to her care home.  We found that her care was appropriate, but following our investigation the Trust agreed to review the way it documents patients returning to nursing homes or other care settings.

An investigation has not upheld a complaint that the Western Health and Social prescribed a patient the wrong dose of a sedative. It also found that the Trust properly addressed the complainant’s concerns about the care of his mother.

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 has found that, prior to her death, a patient was given appropriate care and treatment at the South West Acute Hospital, Enniskillen. However, an investigation also concluded that the Trust should have made her family aware of a Do Not Resuscitate order placed on her medical file.

The Public Services Ombudsman has upheld a complaint from a woman who waited 20 months to have a carer's assessment carried out by the Western Health and Social Care Trust.

We investigated a complaint about the Trust's record keeping following the birth of the complainant's son.