PHSO Casework Decisions
3,622 published casework decisions from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (Apr 2021–Mar 2026). PHSO selects a subset of completed investigations for public publication — these 3,622 decisions represent approximately 1.1% of the 321,459 total complaints received across the same period. Source: decisions.ombudsman.org.uk.
3,622
Published Decisions
3,089
Health
533
Parliamentary (Govt)
18%
Upheld / Partly Upheld
Showing 45 results matching "Barts Health NHS Trust"
Barts Health NHS Trust (P-002756)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
AI summary: Miss A complained the Trust delayed acting on her grandfather's MRI scan results for months, causing his condition to worsen and permanent nerve damage.
Barts Health NHS Trust (P-002810)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Choice and Consent
Administration
AI summary: Mr R complained the Trust refused to fix his failed pain device and repeatedly cancelled his surgery, causing him prolonged pain, bladder/bowel issues, and increased anxiety.
Barts Health NHS Trust (P-002782)
NHS in England
Partly Upheld
Treatment
Communication
AI summary: The Trust allegedly mismanaged Miss F's mother's deterioration, prematurely withdrew treatment, and communicated poorly regarding a Do Not Attempt Resuscitation (DNAR) decision.
Barts Health NHS Trust (P-002656)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
AI summary: Mrs H complained the Trust failed to act on her husband's worsening health and provide necessary care, which she believed led to his death and caused her severe depression.
Barts Health NHS Trust (P-002649)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
AI summary: Miss E complained about her son's care, including delayed admission, missed medication, unattended drip alarms, an overly long MRI, and inadequate discharge planning and equipment.
Barts Health NHS Trust (P-002497)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Diagnosis
Complaint handling
AI summary: Mr L complained he was misdiagnosed with an STI in February 2022, treated unnecessarily, causing distress and relationship issues. He also complained about the Trust's delayed complaint handling.
Barts Health NHS Trust (P-002362)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Drugs / medication
AI summary: Mr Y complained the Trust incorrectly prescribed ibuprofen for his daughter's chickenpox, leading to a serious skin infection, scarring, pain, and distress.
Barts Health NHS Trust (P-002377)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Complaint handling
None
Communication
Communication
AI summary: Mr E complained a Trust failed to properly assess and treat his mother, discharging her unfit, leading to an undiagnosed infection, broken back, and ultimately her death.
Barts Health NHS Trust (P-002317)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
AI summary: The Trust failed to refer Mr A to the restoration department as promised, which resulted in the loss of his tooth.
Barts Health NHS Trust (P-002320)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
AI summary: Mr L complained the Trust performed his circumcision incorrectly with tight stitching and provided no aftercare, causing pain, lymphedema, and significant functional issues.
Barts Health NHS Trust (P-003876)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
None
AI summary: Ms I complained the Trust unfairly charged her for urgent S-ICD treatment and stopped home monitoring, alleging she was not a UK resident entitled to free NHS care.
Barts Health NHS Trust (P-002035)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
AI summary: Miss W complained about the Trust's care for her deaf sister during brain surgery, citing no care plan, lack of BSL interpreter, poor communication, and failure to investigate a lump.
Barts Health NHS Trust (P-001791)
NHS in England
Upheld
Communication
Nursing care
AI summary: Ms R complained about poor communication and delayed morphine administration for her late father during his end-of-life care, causing her distress.
Barts Health NHS Trust (P-001552)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Surgery
Complaint handling
AI summary: Mrs E complained her bowel was cut during 2012 surgery, leading to permanent disability, and that the Trust failed to investigate further questions about her complaint.
Barts Health NHS Trust (P-001448)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
AI summary: Mrs C complained the Trust failed to reschedule her cancelled shoulder operation and did not communicate treatment options or the relocation of orthopaedic services.
Barts Health NHS Trust (P-001320)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
Treatment
Complaint handling
AI summary: Ms U complained about inadequate care for a skin condition, unnecessary antidepressant prescription, and significant delays by Barts Health NHS Trust in handling her complaint.
Barts Health NHS Trust (P-001302)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
None
AI summary: Patient complained staff sent her to the wrong ward, provided incorrect pain relief, left her unattended, and caused her to give birth in a corridor.
Barts Health NHS Trust (P-001308)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
None
AI summary: Patient complained about poor surgical outcomes from a hysterectomy in 2017, including bladder perforation, inadequate aftercare, early discharge, and unprofessional staff conduct.
Barts Health NHS Trust (P-001257)
NHS in England
Upheld
Nursing care
Communication
Nursing care
Death, mortuary and post-mortem arrangements
AI summary: Miss O complained about poor communication regarding pain relief and miscarriage expectations, and lack of staff support during her second-trimester miscarriage. She also alleged the mortuary gave incorrect funeral and burial information.
Barts Health NHS Trust (P-001230)
NHS in England
Upheld
Treatment
Communication
Treatment
Communication
AI summary: Miss A complained about poor maternity and postnatal care, including uninvestigated bleeding, unclear communication about delivery and her son's haematoma, and inadequate care for retained placenta.
Upheld / Partly Upheld
259 + 397
18% of decisions found fault with the organisation complained about.
Not Upheld
247
Complaint investigated but no fault found. 1 resolved during investigation.
Closed After Initial Enquiries
2,718
PHSO decided not to proceed to full investigation.
Most complained-about:
HM Revenue and Customs (80), University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (72), NHS England (62), Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (50), HM Courts and Tribunals Service (48).
Published Decisions Over Time
Excludes 2,718 closed before investigation. Quarterly, by outcome.
Annual Complaints (PHSO-wide)
Official PHSO annual statistics across all organisations
| Year | Received | Investigated | Upheld | Upheld % | Remedy % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | 54,478 | 12,275 | 1,216 | 9.9% | 0% |
| 2020-21 | 44,139 | 7,822 | 617 | 7.9% | 0% |
| 2021-22 | 62,553 | 13,426 | 727 | 5.4% | 0% |
| 2022-23 | 61,297 | 15,734 | 782 | 5.0% | 0% |
| 2023-24 | 63,471 | 17,321 | 946 | 5.5% | 0% |
| 2024-25 | 35,521 | 10,070 | 519 | 5.2% | 0% |
Remedy % = percentage of PHSO remedies complied with on time
Top Themes
Themes by Upheld Rate
AI-classified themes across PHSO casework decisions
| Theme | Decisions | Upheld | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delayed Recognition of Deterioration | 747 | 184 | 25% |
| Complaint record keeping failures | 632 | 108 | 17% |
| Clinical negligence harms learning | 460 | 92 | 20% |
| Care plan failures | 436 | 121 | 28% |
| Care and discharge planning | 288 | 77 | 27% |
| No person-centred care | 215 | 46 | 21% |
| Inaccurate and inaccessible patient records | 204 | 37 | 18% |
| Patient dignity and privacy | 147 | 40 | 27% |
| Inadequate Pre-Operative Risk Assessment | 136 | 44 | 32% |
| Duty of Candour implementation | 134 | 43 | 32% |
| Medication Contamination/Misadministration | 128 | 33 | 26% |
| DWP policy impact assessment | 106 | 12 | 11% |
| Poor health and social care integration | 97 | 21 | 22% |
| Mental Health Crisis Referral Delays | 74 | 10 | 14% |
| Coroner family information gaps | 74 | 25 | 34% |
PHSO Complaint Categories
PHSO Categories by Upheld Rate
PHSO's own issue classifications — broad categories such as 'Treatment' cover a wide range of clinical complaints
| Category | Decisions | Upheld | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Treatment | 1,610 | 418 | 26% |
| Diagnosis | 850 | 206 | 24% |
| Communication | 792 | 233 | 29% |
| Complaint handling | 534 | 161 | 30% |
| Drugs / medication | 463 | 130 | 28% |
| Nursing care | 388 | 154 | 40% |
| Access | 363 | 87 | 24% |
| Transfer, discharge and aftercare | 353 | 119 | 34% |
| Referral | 262 | 58 | 22% |
| Administration | 191 | 30 | 16% |
| End of life care | 170 | 50 | 29% |
| Choice and Consent | 165 | 48 | 29% |
| Continuing healthcare | 160 | 14 | 9% |
| Surgery | 145 | 32 | 22% |
| Record keeping and management | 133 | 30 | 23% |
Organisation Accountability
Combines PHSO annual complaint statistics (volume, remedy compliance) with published decisions portal data (uphold rate). Sorted by upheld rate for organisations with 5+ investigated decisions. Benchmark: 73% average upheld rate among fully investigated decisions. This differs from the headline 18% figure, which includes all 3,340 published decisions — most of which were closed before full investigation (upheld/not upheld only applies to fully investigated cases). Sparklines show complaint volumes received 2019–20 → 2024–25.
Received = complaints received in most recent year (PHSO annual data). Remedy compliance = % of PHSO-recommended remedies complied with across all available years. — = no data in that dataset for this organisation.