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-202401489)
Health & Social Care
Upheld
We upheld a complaint from a patient who claimed that the delay in her surgery left her with a permanent disability. We also found that the Trust failed to communicate with her about her care and treatment.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202005907)
Health & Social Care
Upheld
The Northern Trust also failed to carry out a proper investigation when the patient complained.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202006521)
Health & Social Care
Not Upheld
Doctors in the Emergency Department of Antrim Area Hospital followed the correct procedures when they treated a man. Although there were some delays in his treatment, these did not impact on his overall care.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202004300)
Health & Social Care
Upheld
A young boy who had autism and was non-verbal was left in pain after the Northern Health Trust failed to give him the care he needed.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202400522)
Health & Social Care
Upheld
The Northern Trust failed to develop an appropriate plan for managing a patient’s incontinence during his stay in Causeway Hospital.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202400815)
Health & Social Care
Not Upheld
The care provided to a patient who attended the Emergency Department of Antrim Area Hospital with abdominal pain was reasonable and appropriate.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202006867)
Health & Social Care
Upheld
The Northern Trust should not have left it to the day of the surgery to explain to a patient the potential complications. The patient said that if she had known the possible consequences she would not have given her consent.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202005329)
Health & Social Care
Upheld
An elderly patient experienced distress and discomfort after being left overnight in soiled clothing in Antrim Area Hospital.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202400130)
Health & Social Care
Upheld
Antrim Area Hospital discharged a patient from its Emergency Department despite his poor health. His daughter believed he should have been admitted to the hospital for further treatment.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202005529)
Health & Social Care
Upheld
A woman complained that failures in her husband’s care while he was in hospital contributed to a deterioration in his health. We partially upheld the complaint.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202002627)
Health & Social Care
Upheld
The Northern Trust failed to act on a woman’s concerns about her mother’s health. This, as well as its failure to properly assess her spinal injury and accurately read the results of an MRI scan, led to her untimely death.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202003768)
Health & Social Care
Not Upheld
We found that a patient with fibromyalgia was treated appropriately by the Northern Trust. Although the Trust failed to keep proper records of her treatment, we did not consider this impacted on her care.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202003667)
Health & Social Care
Upheld
The Northern Trust failed to provide a patient with a nutritional care plan during his time in hospital. We also found that it should have contacted his family to discuss arrangements for a DNACPR.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202004556)
Health & Social Care
Upheld
We asked the Northern Trust to apologise to a man after it failed to properly deal with his request for Continuing Healthcare.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-care-and-treatment-patient-antrim-area-hospital-0)
Health & Social Care
Upheld
A woman complained that the Northern Trust should have consulted her and her family when making decisions around the care of her late mother. We found the Trust's decision making at the time was appropriate, but were critical of the way it dealt with her complaint.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202001539)
Health & Social Care
Not Upheld
A woman complained that frequent visits by carers caused her brother to experience unnecessary stress and anxiety. We found the visits were undertaken in line with the relevant guidance and procedures.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202002149)
Health & Social Care
Upheld
The Northern Trust failed to keep proper records of a patient's food intake, and didn't provide him with insulin after he experienced an episode of hypoglycaemia.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202002199)
Health & Social Care
Upheld
We upheld a complaint from a woman who said that her late mother should not have been discharged from Antrim Area Hospital.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202003166)
Health & Social Care
Upheld
A woman complained about the care given to her husband in Antrim Area Hospital in the weeks before his death. We upheld parts of the complaint.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202003319)
Health & Social Care
Upheld
A woman whose father died in Causeway Hospital after removing his oxygen mask believed he should have been monitored more closely. She also questioned why the Trust did not commission a review into the incident.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202001526)
Health & Social Care
Upheld
We upheld a woman's complaint about the care given to her father, who passed away in Antrim Area Hospital in 2021.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202001154)
Health & Social Care
Not Upheld
A man claimed the Belfast Trust removed him from an in-patient waiting list because he had complained about one of its surgeons. Our investigation found no evidence to support this view.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202001198)
Health & Social Care
Other
A man who suffered a back injury at work was treated appropriately by clinicians in the Northern Trust. However, we found that when the man made a complaint about his treatment, the Northern Trust did not answer all of his questions.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202001066)
Health & Social Care
Not Upheld
The son of a care home resident raised concerns about his father’s treatment in the home. We found that the Trust followed the correct Adult Safeguarding guidelines while looking after him.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NIPSO-202002176)
Health & Social Care
Upheld
A Health Trust’s decision to admit a woman to a care home was appropriate, but its communication with her carer fell below the expected standards.
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% | — | |||||