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 20 results matching "King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust"
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (P-005139)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Administration
AI summary: Mrs T complained the Trust lost her two gold rings due to incorrect procedures when recording and handling patient property, causing her stress.
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (P-004942)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Communication
AI summary: Miss Y complained the Trust failed to offer non-surgical treatment for her loose teeth and gum disease, gave incorrect advice, and caused her trauma and anxiety.
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (P-004453)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Drugs / medication
AI summary: Miss P complained the Trust inappropriately prescribed adenosine during her father's procedure, causing a respiratory reaction, intubation, and his eventual death, without considering his medical history.
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (P-004303)
NHS in England
Upheld
Treatment
Communication
Transfer, discharge and aftercare
Complaint handling
AI summary: Mrs F complained the Trust failed to perform a post-surgery CT scan and made an inappropriate discharge decision for her son, which she believes led to his death.
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (P-004029)
NHS in England
Partly Upheld
Treatment
AI summary: Ms X complained nursing staff failed to accurately record her father's observations and were missing, preventing timely escalation to the Critical Care Outreach Team and contributing to his earlier death.
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (P-003509)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Diagnosis
Communication
Treatment
AI summary: Miss E complained about multiple issues across three Trusts, including restraint, theft, assault, misdiagnosis of sepsis, poor communication regarding her baby, and unnecessary procedures.
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (P-003302)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Diagnosis
AI summary: Mr A complained clinicians delayed his mother’s treatment and misdiagnosed her condition, believing these problems contributed to her death.
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (P-003222)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
AI summary: Mr T complained his mother was discharged medically unfit, not COVID-19 tested, had antibiotics stopped, oxygen mismanaged, and palliative care wrongly initiated, contributing to her death.
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (P-002942)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
AI summary: The Trust failed to sew her cervix at 12 weeks of pregnancy as planned and ignored reports of bleeding, leading to early induction and delayed D&C, impacting her mental health.
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (P-002921)
NHS in England
Upheld
Diagnosis
AI summary: Mr P complained the Trust failed to test for cancer, poorly monitored a brain tumour, and proceeded with inappropriate surgery, delaying treatment and affecting his brother's outcome.
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (P-002900)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
AI summary: Mrs A complained her elderly mother suffered from delayed hospital admission, inadequate hydration/nutrition, and untreated lung aspiration, leading to her death.
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (P-002552)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Transfer, discharge and aftercare
Communication
Complaint handling
Treatment
AI summary: The Trust prematurely discharged his mother, failed to test for COVID-19, poorly managed oxygen, and provided conflicting information, potentially contributing to her death.
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (P-002471)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
AI summary: Ms J complained the Trust used her left arm for an IV despite warnings about her cancer history and lymphedema risk, failed to log the incident, and allowed her catheter to overfill.
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (P-002365)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Choice and Consent
Complaint handling
AI summary: Mrs D complained a DNACPR notice was placed on her father's records without consent, his resuscitation wishes were ignored, and the Trust failed to escalate her complaint.
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (P-002190)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
None
None
None
AI summary: Mr M complained about his wife's care, citing delayed fluid drainage from her stomach, lack of communication with him, and absence of an oncology consultant in her care, causing her pain and distress.
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (P-003884)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
AI summary: Miss A complained about the Trust's care for her brother, alleging he wasn't cared for correctly before sepsis and wasn't given enough fluids. She also cited delays in the complaint process.
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (P-001753)
NHS in England
Partly Upheld
Treatment
AI summary: The Trust did not perform a urine test before Mr E's cystoscopy, as advised, which he believes led to a bladder infection and post-procedure discomfort.
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (P-001601)
NHS in England
Not Upheld
Communication
AI summary: Mrs X complained the Trust incorrectly led Mr X to believe he would receive cancer treatment, giving him false hope and causing him distress before his death.
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (P-001833)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
Surgery
AI summary: Mr O complained a thrombectomy procedure was incorrectly performed, leading to an emergency operation, causing him trauma, flashbacks, and mental health issues requiring counselling.
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (P-001639)
NHS in England
Not Upheld
Surgery
Transfer, discharge and aftercare
Drugs / medication
AI summary: Mrs E complained about failings in Mr E's biopsy, inappropriate discharge while on the verge of sepsis, and incorrect antibiotic choice, which she believed led to his death.
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.