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 16 results matching "Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust"
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-005075)
NHS in England
Upheld
Communication
Treatment
Diagnosis
Treatment
AI summary: Miss Y complained the Trust failed to recognise her grandmother's deterioration, inform her of this, and relax visiting restrictions before her death.
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-005081)
NHS in England
Partly Upheld
Nursing care
Diagnosis
Access
Treatment
Treatment
Nursing care
Risk assessment
Communication
Treatment
End of life care
Ms F complains about various aspects of care and treatment provided to her late father Mr F between April and August 2022 including medication management, nursing care including nutrition and fluids management, physiotherapy input, miscommunication, and falls management.
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-004987)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Diagnosis
Diagnosis
Diagnosis
Mr D complained the Practice and two NHS trusts have failed to diagnose him with botulism and provide treatment for his ongoing debilitating symptoms.
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-003559)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
AI summary: Miss G complained the Trust failed to monitor her eye condition and respond to warning signs, resulting in the loss of her right eye and severe distress.
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-003383)
NHS in England
Not Upheld
Communication
Communication
AI summary: Mr R complained the Cambridge MDT concluded his wife was unfit for surgery based on misrepresentative information and communication failings between Trusts, causing a lost opportunity for earlier, life-extending surgery.
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-003152)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Diagnosis
AI summary: Ms A complained about multiple aspects of the Trust's care for her son's Crohn's disease diagnosis and treatment, alleging misdiagnosis and neglect that impacted his development.
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-003063)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Nursing care
Continuing healthcare
AI summary: Mrs T complained her mother fell, was inappropriately discharged with COVID-19, and was transferred to a distant care home without proper communication, causing rapid deterioration and distress.
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-002825)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Abuse
AI summary: Miss E complained staff mishandled her sister, frightening her into self-discharge, which she believes led to her sister's later death from sepsis.
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-002746)
NHS in England
Upheld
Treatment
Transfer, discharge and aftercare
Diagnosis
Diagnosis
Communication
AI summary: Ms A complained the Trust failed to communicate Mr B's suspected heart attack and delayed investigations/treatment, which she believes contributed to his severe health decline and death.
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-002800)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
Complaint handling
AI summary: Mrs A complained staff unnecessarily ventilated her mother, turned off life support on a significant date, failed to discuss a DNAR, didn't inform her of death promptly, and didn't offer bereavement support.
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-002432)
NHS in England
Upheld
Treatment
AI summary: Mr U complained the Trust failed to remove his catheter in a timely manner, resulting in significant pain, urinary incontinence, and distress.
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-003896)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Surgery
Communication
AI summary: Mr A complained about an unsuccessful nose operation resulting in persistent bleeding and breathing difficulties. He cited poor service and a rude, uncommunicative consultant.
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-001943)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
Transfer, discharge and aftercare
Communication
AI summary: Mrs H complained about her husband's catheter bursting, premature discharge, and poor communication about his palliative and terminal diagnosis, causing him pain and distress.
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-001832)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
Communication
AI summary: Miss V complained about poor safeguarding, delayed scan sharing, failed medical procedures, communication issues, lack of consent, and unsuitable accommodation during her son's care in April 2018.
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-001475)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
AI summary: Mrs D complained about poor communication regarding her husband's treatment and an allegedly unnecessary operation to remove an infected shunt, which she believed led to his health deteriorating.
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-001238)
NHS in England
Upheld
Access
Access
None
AI summary: Ms U complained the Trust failed to provide compassionate care, advice, and follow-up after her miscarriage, and then mishandled her subsequent complaint.
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.