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 26 results matching "Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust"
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-005120)
NHS in England
Partly Upheld
Diagnosis
Surgery
AI summary: Mrs B complained about delays in assessments and treatment for her mother, failures to recognise sepsis, incorrect catheter insertion, and incorrect anaesthetic dosage.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-005114)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Drugs / medication
AI summary: Mr I complained a consultant cardiologist failed to review his medication when he reported side effects, and ignored his research showing the drugs were unsuitable.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-004868)
NHS in England
Not Upheld
Administration
Administration
Administration
AI summary: Dr. D complained that the Trust shared her complaint information, inappropriately referred to it in a letter, and refused to address her concerns about the letter.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-004678)
NHS in England
Not Upheld
Diagnosis
Record keeping and management
AI summary: Mrs G complained the Trust failed to diagnose the spread of her husband's thoracic cancer to his brain and did not record concerns about his deteriorating vision, worsening his life quality.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-004517)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Communication
AI summary: Mrs H complained about the Trust's lack of transparency regarding her daughter's death, alleging inconsistent information, withheld details, and barriers to accessing medical records.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-003917)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Drugs / medication
Nursing care
AI summary: Ms R complained the Trust failed to provide adequate care for her brother, Mr S, including not giving antibiotics, fluids, or blood thinners, and insufficient observation. She believed this led to his avoidable death.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-003741)
NHS in England
Upheld
Facilities and cleanliness
Treatment
Complaint handling
AI summary: Mrs L complained she fell from a faulty bed and received no physiotherapy. She also alleged the Trust failed to properly investigate the incident.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-003481)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Surgery
AI summary: Mr A complained Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust performed an incorrect hip surgery, complicating his recovery and leading to further unnecessary surgeries. He sought financial remedy.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-003414)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
Treatment
AI summary: Mrs A complained the Trust failed to properly support and monitor her brother during a Trial Without Catheter (TWOC), and staff delayed acting on dangerous symptoms, leading to his death.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-003382)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Surgery
Diagnosis
AI summary: The Practice failed to address recurrent UTIs and missed early signs of gallstones. The Trust delayed identifying abdominal pain and cancelled an operation, leading to Mrs Y's death.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-003329)
NHS in England
Partly Upheld
Complaint handling
Complaint handling
Complaint handling
Communication
Choice and Consent
Surgery
AI summary: Mrs T complained about insufficient discussion of non-surgical options, inadequate communication of surgical risks, failure to formally assess her father's capacity, and relying on an outdated scan before surgery. She also complained about the investigation of post-surgery complications.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-003262)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Drugs / medication
Drugs / medication
AI summary: Ms S complained Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust inappropriately prescribed Ramipril and gave too much oxygen to her mother, believing these actions contributed to her death.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-003245)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Access
AI summary: Mr T complained the dental hospital wrongly discharged him without follow-up in January 2024, despite a recurrent infection requiring further treatment and causing him pain.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-003190)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Surgery
AI summary: Mrs A complains the Trust incorrectly left 'tightrope' in her hand after thumb surgery, failed to fix the dislocation, and caused nerve damage, increasing pain and limiting movement.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-003084)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Transfer, discharge and aftercare
AI summary: Ms N complained the Trust prematurely discharged her autistic, non-verbal brother before his infection cleared, without suitable provisions. She believes his disability and skin colour influenced his care, leading to his death.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-002903)
NHS in England
Partly Upheld
Communication
Death, mortuary and post-mortem arrangements
Drugs / medication
Referral
AI summary: Mr K complained the Practice failed to recognise his sister's deterioration and delayed appropriate referrals after her fall, contributing to her death.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-002664)
NHS in England
Partly Upheld
Diagnosis
Access
Communication
AI summary: Mrs J complained about a lack of diagnosis, unnecessary epilepsy medication, delayed/missed follow-up appointments, and slow communication of medication changes to her GP.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-002657)
NHS in England
Not Upheld
Surgery
Drugs / medication
AI summary: The Trust failed to treat his father's heart valve condition during surgery and delayed changing medication post-surgery, possibly contributing to his death.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-002641)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Complaint handling
AI summary: Mrs T complained A&E dismissed her serious symptoms and incorrectly stated she discharged herself, leading to two weeks of severe pain at home.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-002507)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
AI summary: Miss E complained the Trust gave her mother an iron infusion too quickly, which she believed worsened her mother's pulmonary fibrosis and led to an earlier death.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-002445)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
Communication
Nursing care
AI summary: Miss O complained the Trust caused a diaphragm tear during surgery, leading to a collapsed lung, poor communication, and inadequate nursing care, causing nerve damage and life impacts.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-002415)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Communication
AI summary: Mrs F complained the Trust did not inform her or her husband about the risk of metastatic liver cancer during his eye cancer treatment, causing shock at diagnosis.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-002400)
NHS in England
Not Upheld
Communication
Drugs / medication
End of life care
AI summary: Ms J complained the Trust failed to manage her father's pain and did not inform her of his deterioration, denying the family a final visit before he died.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-001804)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
AI summary: Ms C complained about inadequate wound care, derogatory comments about her weight, failure to investigate an ankle injury, and misdiagnosis of cellulitis.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-001817)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
Surgery
AI summary: Mrs A complained about failed reflux operations in 2020 that left her in a worse condition, severely impacting her daily life, causing weight loss and financial strain.
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.