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 15 results matching "University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust"
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-005035)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Drugs / medication
Diagnosis
AI summary: Miss H complained about a failure to provide timely pain relief after her C-section and a failure to react promptly to her baby's health issues.
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-005007)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Record keeping and management
Surgery
Record keeping and management
Communication
Surgery
Complaint handling
AI summary: Miss P complained about the Trust's care after deep brain stimulation surgery, citing failures in scans, DBS settings, symptom reporting, communication, and complaint handling.
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-004833)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Choice and Consent
Treatment
Surgery
Complaint handling
Complaint handling
AI summary: Miss N complained about lack of informed consent for surgery, incorrect placement of a SNM device, incision sites, and complaint handling delays.
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-004832)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Communication
Communication
Treatment
Administration
Communication
Communication
AI summary: Miss V complained about failures by the Practice and the Trust in her father's care, including delayed scans, poor communication, and lack of follow-up.
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-004593)
NHS in England
Not Upheld
Treatment
Choice and Consent
Communication
AI summary: Mrs R complained about her father's hospital care, including investigations, treatment decisions, consent for a procedure, response to deterioration, and a Do Not Resuscitate decision.
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-004414)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Treatment
Transfer, discharge and aftercare
AI summary: A patient complained the urology team did not address her reoccurring infection and she was wrongly discharged after receiving an unexplained behaviour warning.
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-004128)
NHS in England
Partly Upheld
Diagnosis
Treatment
AI summary: Prof. A complained the Trust failed to adequately monitor his brother's skin for necrotising fasciitis, perform timely debridement, or monitor for infection spread post-surgery.
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-003517)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Administration
Communication
Record keeping and management
AI summary: Mrs C complained about a last-minute appointment location change, a rude doctor, and inaccuracies in Mr C's clinical letter, which led to his discharge.
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-003418)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Hospital acquired infection / healthcare-associated infection
Communication
Treatment
AI summary: Mr W complained his mother contracted COVID-19 on a ward, the Trust lacked communication, and failed to effectively treat her leg ulcer, leading to its deterioration and affecting her health.
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-002359)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Drugs / medication
AI summary: Mr A complained about the Trust's treatment of his wife, specifically a mistaken 100mg hydrocortisone injection, which he believes contributed to her death.
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-001887)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Surgery
AI summary: Mr R complained the Trust incorrectly stated his torn pectoral muscle was inoperable and refused surgery, despite a second opinion confirming it was possible, leading to cosmetic asymmetry and mental health issues.
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-001854)
NHS in England
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Diagnosis
Access
Communication
AI summary: Mrs R complained about a misdiagnosis in 2015, a later failure to offer treatment, and non-disclosure of MRI scan abnormalities from 2015.
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-001112)
NHS in England
Upheld
Confidentiality, privacy and safeguarding
Diagnosis
Transfer, discharge and aftercare
Complaint handling
AI summary: Mr L complained about an inadequate biopsy, two breaches of confidentiality regarding his HIV status, premature hospital discharge, and poor handling of his complaint.
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-001117)
NHS in England
Not Upheld
Treatment
Choice and Consent
Treatment
Treatment
Treatment
AI summary: Miss A complained the Trust recommended inappropriate radiotherapy for her mother's brain cancer, failed to obtain informed consent, did not act promptly on deterioration, and provided insufficient steroids, hastening her death.
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (P-001076)
NHS in England
Not Upheld
Diagnosis
AI summary: Dr I complained about inadequate postnatal care for his wife and daughter, citing delayed doctor attendance, insufficient pain relief, missed clinical follow-ups, inappropriate antibiotics, and unsafe discharge planning.
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.