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 22 results matching "Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust"
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (P-004849)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Access
Access
AI summary: Ms D complained about being removed from the septorhinoplasty waiting list and being required to undergo a psychology assessment.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (P-004362)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
Drugs / medication
AI summary: Clinicians wrongly told Miss O she had a heart condition and suffered a heart attack, causing distress and leading to unnecessary medication.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (P-004294)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
AI summary: Ms P complained the Trust delayed diagnosing her daughter’s cancer, inappropriately stopped treatment, and failed to control her pain, which contributed to her death.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (P-003764)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
Treatment
Communication
Treatment
Treatment
Communication
AI summary: Ms O complained the Ambulance Trust and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust provided inadequate care to her fiancé, leading to treatment delays and his death.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (P-003609)
NHS in England
Partly Upheld
Treatment
Treatment
Treatment
Drugs / medication
Transfer, discharge and aftercare
AI summary: Mrs C complained about delays in her brother's vascular surgery and other treatment issues, believing these failings contributed to his avoidable death.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (P-003530)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Diagnosis
Transfer, discharge and aftercare
AI summary: Mrs H complained the Trust delayed her husband's cancer diagnosis, failed to perform a biopsy, inappropriately discharged him, and did not act on his low oxygen.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (P-003325)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Diagnosis
Diagnosis
Diagnosis
AI summary: The Practice and Trust allegedly made wrong diagnoses and provided incorrect care for abdominal pain. LAS declined hospital transport, causing prolonged pain and a more invasive operation.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (P-002693)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
Treatment
AI summary: Mr H complained the Trust inappropriately administered alteplase and damaged an artery during a procedure on his father, leading to a brain haemorrhage and death.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (P-002614)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Tests
AI summary: Miss A complained the Trust inadequately carried out a quadricep muscle biopsy on the wrong leg, exacerbating her existing conditions, causing prolonged pain, and impacting her daily life.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (P-002594)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
AI summary: Mr E complained the Trust wrongly stopped his ambulatory oxygen prescription in February 2023, causing low oxygen saturation, restricted activity, and potential organ damage.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (P-002457)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
Complaint handling
AI summary: Miss R complained she suffered nerve damage during ovarian surgery, which the Trust allegedly concealed and then dismissed her concerns, impacting her post-surgery recovery.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (P-002393)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
AI summary: Miss L complained about eye operations, alleging they were done without anaesthetic, her retina was torn, communication was poor, and silicone oil was left in her eye.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (P-003863)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Choice and Consent
AI summary: A consultant allegedly ignored Mr R's concerns about severe bleeding, refused a hysterectomy, and incorrectly prescribed a contraceptive coil.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (P-001938)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Referral
Complaint handling
AI summary: Mr O complained the Trust failed to prescribe isotretinoin for his buttock folliculitis and mishandled his complaint by not responding on time, causing him distress and private treatment costs.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (P-001914)
NHS in England
Upheld
Complaint handling
Complaint handling
Access
Access
Treatment
Complaint handling
AI summary: Mr A complained the Trust mishandled his post-foot surgery care, including an improperly performed TWOC procedure, and delays in subsequent appointments, causing him pain and financial expense. He also complained about poor complaint handling.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (P-001823)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Diagnosis
Choice and Consent
Administration
Diagnosis
AI summary: Ms A complained about receiving two unnecessary endoscopies where she was sedated against her will, trainee involvement, and the Trust's poor record-keeping, causing her pain and mental anguish.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (P-001731)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Drugs / medication
AI summary: Mrs A complained the Trust prescribed her incorrect medication (amlodipine, amiodarone) after gall bladder surgery, causing her to be extremely ill and prolonging her hospital stay.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (P-001507)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
Diagnosis
Complaint handling
AI summary: Miss A complained the Trust failed to investigate her shoulder pain, did not diagnose a dislocation from an X-ray, and denied its failings, causing prolonged pain.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (P-001408)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Access
Treatment
AI summary: Miss H complained an eye specialist in the ED did not properly investigate her eye pain, headache, and vision loss, leading to a delayed diagnosis of an optic nerve problem and permanent damage.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (P-001303)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Diagnosis
Treatment
Drugs / medication
AI summary: Miss E complained that after an IV pump incident, the Trust refused cyclizine, treated her like an addict, 'gossiped', and wouldn't facilitate a meeting with doctors.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (P-001198)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Surgery
AI summary: Mrs H complained her husband's angiogram failed to alleviate his transplant artery blood clot, causing him pain, discomfort, and preventing a future kidney transplant.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (P-001182)
NHS in England
Upheld
Human rights
Treatment
End of life care
Diagnosis
End of life care
Complaint handling
AI summary: Mr O complained the Trust made assumptions about his partner, Miss I, leading to cancelled surgery, premature end-of-life declaration, and denial of food/water. He also criticised the complaint handling.
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.