Delayed patient infection risk notification

Inconsistent guidance leading to delayed notification of patients about infection risks from surgery (e.g., Mycobacterium Chimaera).

151 items 9 sources 3 inquiries
Strongest theme matches

Mixed across source types and ranked by classifier confidence plus text match strength.

Indicative ranking
PFD report
81match
Clinton Fear
Jun 2023 · Avon
Current guidelines inconsistently notify patients of Mycobacterium Chimaera infection risk only for post-January 2013 surgeries, despite earlier evidence, potentially delaying diagnosis and harming patients from prior procedures.
Matched on terms: infection, patient
PFD report
77match
David Curry
Jul 2024 · Norfolk
A critical surgery for an obstructed kidney was delayed by five months due to lack of NHS theatre capacity, increasing the patient's sepsis risk, leading to the patient seeking private care and subsequently dying from sepsis.
Matched on terms: delayed, patient
PFD report
73match
Ibiyemi Ereoah
Mar 2020 · East London
Insufficient gynae-oncology consultant cover led to a lack of advocacy in MDT meetings and delayed consultant reviews. There was no system to ensure timely consultant intervention for patients deemed unfit for surgery.
Matched on terms: delayed, patient
PFD report
73match
Kai Takagi
Oct 2023 · Inner West London
Critical abnormal blood results were not communicated to a discharged patient due to a failure in the hospital's call-back system and informal handover process between shifts, leading to delayed care.
Matched on terms: delayed, patient
PFD report
69match
Gordon Arthur
Feb 2017 · Manchester (West)
The absence of clear policies for requesting and communicating results of investigative tests to consultants led to critical delays in diagnosing and treating a patient's infection, risking future harm.
Matched on terms: infection, patient
PFD report
69match
Tom Cribley
Oct 2018 · Liverpool and Wirral
Repeated systemic failings included poor documentation, delayed escalation of patient deterioration and NMEWS, inadequate clinical handovers, and delayed administration of crucial antibiotics for sepsis, issues previously identified by CQC.
Matched on terms: delayed, patient
PFD report
69match
Peter Knight
Mar 2019 · Norfolk
The Trust significantly delayed completing and implementing a crucial policy for transferring oxygen-dependent patients. New documentation was produced, but trials had not even commenced by the agreed deadline.
Matched on terms: delayed, patient
PFD report
69match
Nicholas Winterton
Mar 2021 · City of London
The nationally recognized risk level for Mycobacterium Chimaera infection is inaccurate and outdated, leading to inadequate informed consent and a low threshold of suspicion among clinicians.
Matched on terms: infection
PFD report
69match
Rita Flynn
Aug 2022 · Black Country
A patient was discharged home with clear indicators of infection before blood test results were available, contrary to best practice.
Matched on terms: infection, patient
PFD report
69match
Sara Jones
Apr 2023 · Stoke on Trent and North Staffordshire
A patient transfer occurred without a radiologist's report, which was then delayed in transmission and subsequently not acted upon by receiving doctors, highlighting a critical lack of protocol for radiology report delivery.
Matched on terms: delayed, patient
PFD report
69match
Terence Hines
Dec 2023 · Worcestershire
Failures in hospital cleaning protocols led to a patient acquiring MRSA from a previously occupied room. Multiple failures to perform routine MRSA screening before and during his inpatient stay also contributed to a fatal infection.
Matched on terms: infection, patient
PFD report
61match
Peter Smith
Feb 2020 · Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin
Significant delays in diagnosing and treating adenocarcinoma, caused by sequential rather than concurrent medical processes, rendered planned surgery impossible and contributed to the patient's death.
Matched on terms: patient
PFD report
61match
Leslie Harris
Dec 2020 · Manchester South
The Trust misinterpreted Public Health England guidance, exposing vulnerable patients to COVID-19 by moving them to isolation wards. Concerns remain as the unamended guidance might lead other trusts to similar unsafe practices.
Matched on terms: patient
PFD report
61match
Gillian Stokes
Aug 2024 · Surrey
Insufficient clinical guidance for diagnosing radiation-induced sarcoma in breast implant patients and an inadequate 5-year surveillance period. A crucial follow-up appointment after an aspiration was also not carried out.
Matched on terms: patient
PHSO casework decision
60match
P-002750 - Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Mr R complains the Trust did not correctly monitor his cystic fibrosis related infection and delayed putting in place an antibiotic treatment plan between December 2022 and February 2023.
Matched on terms: delayed, infection
PFD report
57match
Craig White
Jan 2014 · South Lincolnshire
Concerns include insufficient TB screening protocols before Infliximab treatment, inadequate prescriber awareness of increased TB risk, and the need for better patient education and prompt treatment for suspected tuberculous meningitis.
Matched on terms: patient
PFD report
57match
Shannon Gee
Feb 2015 · Cornwall
Delays in mental health treatment occurred due to unaddressed gaps between organisational treatment thresholds and difficulties transferring medical notes, raising concerns about seamless patient care.
Matched on terms: patient
PFD report
57match
George Taylor
Feb 2015 · Cornwall
A significant number of patients are being sent out of county monthly due to an ongoing lack of acute psychiatric beds, posing a clear risk of future deaths.
Matched on terms: patient
PFD report
57match
James Bateley
Mar 2015 · West Sussex
Nursing homes and community nurses face significant delays in accessing essential wound dressings, as orders through GPs can take weeks, impacting patient care.
Matched on terms: patient
PFD report
57match
Raymond Edwards
Feb 2017 · North Wales (Eastern and Central)
A critical lack of a reliable system for disseminating histology results to named consultants meant crucial diagnostic information was not promptly reviewed, posing a significant risk of delayed diagnosis and treatment in future cases.
Matched on terms: delayed
PFD report
57match
Tomas Kelly
Nov 2017 · Nottinghamshire
Parents of a child with Down Syndrome were not adequately informed of their child's increased infection risks, and routine chickenpox vaccination for this vulnerable group should be considered.
Matched on terms: infection
PFD report
57match
Edna Collett
Nov 2017 · Staffordshire (South)
A patient remained in hospital unnecessarily for over two months due to the inability to secure a suitable social care placement, impacting bed availability.
Matched on terms: patient
PFD report
57match
Prabhaker Kapoor
Aug 2019 · Birmingham and Solihull
Essential updates to safer swallowing training and the MOODLE package were significantly delayed and lacked a completion timeline, despite being recommended in a Root Cause Analysis report.
Matched on terms: delayed
PFD report
57match
Brenda Elmer
Aug 2020 · West Sussex
Discharged patients were not effectively informed about a hospital-acquired Listeria outbreak, delaying diagnosis. Additionally, there are no legal requirements for private labs or hospitals to share Listeria isolates, hindering timely outbreak identification.
Matched on terms: patient
PFD report
57match
Roger Phelps
Sep 2021 · Greater Manchester South
Delays exceeding 48 hours for COVID-19 swab results allowed asymptomatic infectious patients to spread the virus on non-COVID wards, a risk potentially unresolved in other trusts.
Matched on terms: patient
PFD report
57match
Christopher Collinson
Oct 2021 · Birmingham and Solihull
A manual patient allocation system risks unassessed patients, and the electronic prescribing system lacks a secondary check, increasing the danger of incorrect medication being administered.
Matched on terms: patient
PFD report
57match
Natasha Adams
Apr 2022 · Birmingham and Solihull
A patient's care level was downgraded without adhering to policy, and a crucial audit to ensure compliance for other patients is facing significant, unacceptable delays.
Matched on terms: patient
PFD report
57match
Trevor Reynolds
May 2022 · North Wales (East and Central)
The health board experienced significant delays in fully implementing a new Standard Operating Procedure for irregular scan reports and auditing its effectiveness, allowing known patient risks to continue.
Matched on terms: patient
PFD report
57match
Angela Maguire
West London
The absence of a regional system to share radiology images across hospitals led to missed opportunities for comparative analysis, risking missed diagnoses and delayed palliative care discussions.
Matched on terms: delayed
PFD report
57match
Akash Bhudia
May 2023 · East London
Significant and unexpected X-ray findings indicative of tuberculosis were not promptly highlighted to the referring clinician because the patient had been discharged. There is no clear process for alerting referrers to such critical changes in non-inpatient cases.
Matched on terms: patient
PFD report
57match
Helen Coogan
May 2023 · Inner North London
Missing qFIT test results for a patient with prolonged abdominal symptoms indicate a potential systemic issue requiring investigation, especially given the cause of death.
Matched on terms: patient
PFD report
57match
Maria Shafighian
Apr 2023 · Gwent
An inefficient internal postal system for communication between departments caused significant delays in escalating urgent changes in a patient's condition, specifically dysphagia, to the relevant team.
Matched on terms: patient
PFD report
57match
Ethel Reed
Feb 2024 · East Riding and Hull
Newly opened hospital wards suffered from peripatetic staffing and lack of leadership, hindering patient care and concern escalation. Additionally, electronic patient records failed to track author changes on discharge letters, risking miscommunication.
Matched on terms: patient
PFD report
57match
Malcolm Taylor
Oct 2024 · Norfolk
A persistent national shortage of available mental health beds, despite ongoing efforts, means patients identified as high-risk are left awaiting critical care, posing a risk of future deaths.
Matched on terms: patient
PFD report
57match
Lee Armstrong
Oct 2024 · Cumbria
Emergency call systems fail to solicit or share existing medical conditions with ambulance call handlers, who also lack access to patient records, risking inadequate responses for patients, particularly those with conditions causing confusion.
Matched on terms: patient
PFD report
57match
Khadija Kerri
Feb 2025 · South Yorkshire (East)
The hospital lacked a clear policy for disseminating addendum radiology reports from external providers to the treating clinical team, causing critical delays in identifying and treating a patient's fractures.
Matched on terms: patient
PFD report
57match
Gareth Tatchell
Jul 2025 · SWANSEA NEATH & PORT TALBOT
Persistent delays in cancer diagnostic, staging, and treatment pathways, especially for staging scans, are adversely affecting patient survivability rates and prognoses, making treatable cancers irresectable.
Matched on terms: patient
PFD report
57match
Leslie Thompson
Jul 2025 · Manchester South
A lack of evening and weekend physiotherapy services in hospitals causes discharge delays, leaving medically fit patients exposed to unnecessary risks within the acute hospital environment.
Matched on terms: patient
PFD report
57match
Nicola Mulliss
Sep 2025 · Newcastle and North Tyneside
A lack of policy for microbiological swabbing during wound re-suturing meant a Staphylococcus Aureus infection was not detected early, delaying crucial treatment.
Matched on terms: infection
Committee recommendation
56match
#45 - Third Report - Coronavirus: lessons learned to date
Science, Innovation and Technology Committee
The discharge of elderly people from NHS hospitals into care homes without having been tested at the beginning of the pandemic—while understandable as the NHS prepared to accept a surge of covid patients—had the unintended consequence of contributing to the spread of infection in care homes. The seeding of infections also happened as a result of staff entering...
Matched on terms: infection, patient
Committee recommendation
56match
#45 - Sixth Report - Coronavirus: lessons learned to date
Science, Innovation and Technology Committee
The discharge of elderly people from NHS hospitals into care homes without having been tested at the beginning of the pandemic—while understandable as the NHS prepared to accept a surge of covid patients—had the unintended consequence of contributing to the spread of infection in care homes. The seeding of infections also happened as a result of staff entering...
Matched on terms: infection, patient
PHSO casework decision
56match
P-002002 - University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Mr Y complains about the care the Trust gave to his mother. He complains Mrs Y got a second infection while an inpatient at the Trust and staff did not tell him. He also complains it did not reply to his complaint.
Matched on terms: infection, patient
Inquiry recommendation
53match
R63 - Effective CDI patient isolation
Vale of Leven Inquiry
Health Boards should ensure that there is effective isolation of any patient who is suspected of suffering from CDI, and that failure to isolate is reported to senior management.
Matched on terms: patient
PHSO casework decision
51match
P-001516 - The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Mrs I complains about the care her father received from the Trust after he was admitted to hospital. She says Trust staff did not correctly follow the cross-infection guidelines which meant her father caught COVID-19 from another patient, and subsequently died.
Matched on terms: infection, patient
PHSO casework decision
51match
P-003445 - Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Ms R complains about the care and treatment Warrington and Halton NHS Foundation Trust provided to her in August 2023. She says there was no continuity of care during her labour and staff failed to prevent her getting an infection and delayed recognising and treating it.
Matched on terms: delayed, infection
LGO / SPSO decision
50match
201400264 - Highland NHS Board
SPSO (Scottish Public Services Ombudsman)
Ms C, an advocate, complained on behalf of her client (Mr A) about the infection control procedures used by Raigmore Hospital when he had a total hip replacement. When Mr A attended the pre-operative assessment when he was first scheduled for surgery, it was found that he had an in-growing toenail and surgery was delayed until this was...
Matched on terms: delayed, infection
PFD report
49match
Jack Hurn
Birmingham and Solihull
The hospital lacked official guidance for managing VITT, causing staff unawareness of time-critical transfer needs and incorrect specialist consultations, despite available national and regional pathways.
Matched on classifier match
Inquiry recommendation
48match
R37 - CDI senior assessment and treatment
Vale of Leven Inquiry
Health Boards should ensure that any patient with suspected CDI receives full clinical assessment by senior medical staff, that specific antibiotic therapy for CDI is commenced timeously.
Matched on terms: patient
Inquiry recommendation
48match
IBI-8a - Pre-1996 Transfusion Testing
Infected Blood Inquiry
When doctors become aware that a patient has had a blood transfusion prior to 1996, that patient should be offered a blood test for Hepatitis C.
Matched on terms: patient
PHSO casework decision
48match
P-003770 - Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Upheld
Mrs C complained about the care and treatment of her adult son when he was admitted to hospital in November 2022. She complains doctors failed to give him antibiotics in a timely way even though he was admitted with a known infection.
Matched on terms: infection