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 29 results matching "Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust"
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (P-004992)
NHS in England
Partly Upheld
Treatment
Treatment
AI summary: Ms L complained the Trust did not appropriately manage her father’s foot care, skin/wounds, and that the urology department refused to operate or provide appropriate treatment, leading to sepsis and his death.
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (P-004960)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Death, mortuary and post-mortem arrangements
End of life care
AI summary: Miss X complained that the Trust recorded an incorrect cause of death, did not carry out a postmortem, and delayed resuscitation for her sister.
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (P-004937)
NHS in England
Partly Upheld
Transfer, discharge and aftercare
Treatment
Communication
AI summary: Mrs C complained that Northern Care Alliance did not act on test results, and Tameside provided inadequate ED care and delayed informing the family before her brother's death.
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (P-004844)
NHS in England
Partly Upheld
Referral
AI summary: Ms A complained that the Trust failed to diagnose her mother's hip fracture in the emergency department and discharged her without treatment.
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (P-004621)
NHS in England
Partly Upheld
End of life care
AI summary: Miss X complained her mother suffered falls, was incorrectly assessed for DOLS, given incorrect medication, overdosed, lacked an end-of-life plan, and the family wasn't timely informed of her deterioration.
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (P-004558)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Drugs / medication
Nursing care
Treatment
Nursing care
Drugs / medication
AI summary: Mr U complained about his wife's care at two Trusts, citing inadequate mobilisation, inappropriate pain medication, suspended anticoagulants, poor food/drink supervision, and no psychiatric treatment, allegedly contributing to her death.
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (P-004459)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Confidentiality, privacy and safeguarding
Treatment
Record keeping and management
Communication
AI summary: Mrs B complained the Trust provided inappropriate care to her husband, Mr B, alleging issues like mixed records, cancelled tests, and poor communication, which she believes contributed to his death.
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (P-004366)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Administration
Administration
Access
Communication
AI summary: Mrs B complained about a doctor's failure to listen and locate records, poor communication of waiting times, and an excessively long wait for her rectocele operation.
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (P-004507)
NHS in England
Upheld
Treatment
Treatment
End of life care
Drugs / medication
AI summary: Ms D complained the Trust prescribed contraindicated medication, poorly managed her father's bowel disease, and did not appropriately treat pulmonary embolism, contributing to his death.
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (P-004109)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Nursing care
Nursing care
Communication
AI summary: Ms A complained about her late mother's poor nursing care, including lack of help with eating and personal hygiene, and inadequate explanation of her condition and death, which she believed led to her mother's passing.
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (P-004016)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Choice and Consent
End of life care
AI summary: Mrs L complained the Trust failed to promptly administer a morphine syringe driver for her mother Ms R's end-of-life care and did not inform Ms R of long-term risks when prescribing steroid medication, contributing to her death.
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (P-003769)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
Complaint handling
AI summary: Miss L complained clinicians failed to identify her mother's stroke quickly enough and that the Trust's complaint handling was delayed, incomplete, and lacked evidence of learning.
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (P-003571)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Communication
Diagnosis
Transfer, discharge and aftercare
AI summary: Ms J complained the Trust did not timely identify her sepsis and planned to discharge her, and failed to communicate her condition during hospital transfer.
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (P-003560)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
AI summary: Mr W complained his father died due to a considerable wait in the Emergency Department before being seen by a consultant, seeking financial compensation.
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (P-003342)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Diagnosis
AI summary: Miss A complained doctors failed to inform her of lung nodules found in a 2021 CT scan until 2024, by which time her cancer was incurable, alleging it could have been treatable earlier.
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (P-003206)
NHS in England
Partly Upheld
Access
Access
Access
AI summary: Mrs R complains the Trust provided inappropriate care for her back pain and delayed an urgent multi-disciplinary team referral, leading to deterioration and missed surgery opportunities.
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (P-003146)
NHS in England
Partly Upheld
Communication
Treatment
Treatment
Nursing care
Nursing care
Nursing care
AI summary: The Trust allegedly failed to provide adequate gastroenterology input, delayed a drain procedure, neglected daily weights and enemas, and provided insufficient nutritional support for Mr G.
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (P-003138)
NHS in England
Partly Upheld
Access
Treatment
AI summary: The Trust provided poor care, including a prolonged fistula needle, no stroke assessment, misleading information, falls, delayed transfer, and an unconsulted 'do not resuscitate' order.
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (P-002868)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
End of life care
Drugs / medication
AI summary: Mrs L complained the Trust provided inadequate end-of-life care for her mother and that prescribed steroid medication contributed to her death.
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (P-002894)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Referral
Record keeping and management
AI summary: Mr H complained his urgent GP referral was wrongly downgraded to routine without consultation, and a consultant couldn't view his scan, causing prolonged worry and pain.
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (P-002803)
NHS in England
Not Upheld
Confidentiality, privacy and safeguarding
Communication
Access
AI summary: Miss A complained staff inappropriately implemented a Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards authorisation without informing her and prevented family visits, which she believes contributed to her mother's death.
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (P-002769)
NHS in England
Partly Upheld
Tests
Diagnosis
Complaint handling
AI summary: Mrs E complained about an inadequate cancer surveillance plan and a delay in acting on scan results, causing a lost opportunity for earlier treatment and lack of reassurance about service improvements.
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (P-002573)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Communication
AI summary: Mr U complained the Trust delayed contacting him about his husband's deteriorating health, preventing him from being present at his death, and restricted visiting times.
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (P-002291)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Diagnosis
Diagnosis
AI summary: Mr I complained the Trust failed to recognise a spinal fracture and provide decompression surgery between 2008 and 2017. He alleged this led to 15 years of back pain and abdominal pain.
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (P-003903)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Nursing care
AI summary: Mr E complained his wife's pneumonia and death were caused by the Trust's incorrect use of a nasogastric tube and failure to provide thrombolysis after her stroke.
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.