Western Health and Social Care Trust
A patient complained he was uncomfortable after he was fitted with a catheter following surgery. We found no failings in his care and treatment.
Source · Ombudsman decisions
NIPSO Individual Decisions
457 total decisions
192 investigated
139 upheld
72% upheld of investigated
Years: Jul 2000–Mar 2026
457 published decisions from the NI Public Services Ombudsman. The Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman investigates complaints about NI government departments, agencies, councils, and public bodies. Source: nipso.org.uk.
Decisions
Western Health and Social Care Trust
The Northern Trust should have told a patient and his family that he would not be resuscitated if his heart or breathing stopped.
Western Health and Social Care Trust
A woman complained that doctors did not do enough to monitor and investigate her father’s condition prior to his death.
Western Health and Social Care Trust
A woman believed that the Western Trust should not have left it to her family to arrange palliative care for her elderly mother.
Northern Ireland Housing Executive
The Ombudsman has written to the Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive to say she has commenced an 'own initiative' investigation into the organisation. The decision follows the Ombudsman’s consideration of the Housing Executive’s response to her investigation proposal from earlier this year.
GP
A woman claimed that if her late husband’s weight loss been investigated properly his cancer may have been detected sooner. We found it was a ‘significant failure in care and treatment’ that his GP didn’t send him for further diagnostic treatment.
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
A man complained that an MRI scan carried out by the Belfast Trust failed to identify the cause of his back pain. We did not uphold the complaint.
Northern Health and Social Care Trust
A woman complained that failures in her husband’s care while he was in hospital contributed to a deterioration in his health. We partially upheld the complaint.
Ards and North Down Borough Council
A man believed that Ards and North Down Borough Council should have independently verified whether planning orders had been breached, rather than taking the word of the developer. We did not uphold the complaint.
South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust
A man said he didn't realise the South Eastern Trust had discharged him from its mental health services. The resulting confusion without left him without treatment for 18 months.
GP
A man complained that his GP should have provided him with medication following a private ADHD diagnosis.
South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust
The South Eastern Trust should have obtained more evidence from a care home and others when it investigated an adult safeguarding referral.
Department for Infrastructure
The Department for Infrastructure was not required to accept a complainant’s request to review her Covid relief application as it was made outside the time period allowed.
Secondary school
The Board of Governors of a secondary school should have set up a sub-committee to investigate a complaint about whether a pupil’s A Level grades were estimated fairly.
Western Health and Social Care Trust
The Western Trust didn’t communicate properly with a woman during its investigation into the death of her husband.
Massereene Manor Nursing Home
A man believed that staff from his wife’s care home should have consulted with doctors when she contracted Covid-19. We partially upheld the complaint.
Bangor Care Home
A care home resident was left alone while using the bathroom despite her care plan stating she needed the assistance of at least one member of staff.
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
A man complained about how his late wife was cared for after she suffered a fall. We upheld parts of the complaint.
GP
It was reasonable for a GP practice to cancel plans for a patient’s x-ray. It also did not need to reschedule the procedure given that the patient no longer lived in the area.
South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust
We upheld a mother’s complaint about the South Eastern Trust’s care of her son during her 3 week stay in hospital.
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
The Belfast Trust should have adopted a more patient-centred approach when caring for a man with liver cancer.
Department for Economy
A complainant claimed that failures by the Department for the Economy resulted in his partner sustaining a significant financial loss.
Dalriada Urgent Care
Given the risk factors involved, we concluded that a doctor should have considered a different diagnosis when treating an elderly patient.
Western Health and Social Care Trust
Failings by a Trust’s social care team meant a complainant believed it did not take his concerns seriously.
Department for Infrastructure
A road in Larne remains unfinished because the necessary controls or conditions were not put in place before the work began.