Source · PHSO decision

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust

Ref: P-004080 Statement Decision date: 15 September 2025 Jurisdiction: NHS in England Closed After Initial Enquiries

AI-generated complaint summary

Mrs X complained about the care and treatment her son received from the Trust prior to his death, believing he should not have died and seeking an apology and financial remedy.

Find the original decision on the PHSO website ↗ · Reference P-004080

Topics and themes

1 PHSO issue · 1 Index theme

PHSO issue classifications

  • Treatment

Accountability Index themes

Outcome

AI summary
Complaint closed. The ombudsman decided not to consider the complaint further because Mrs X is currently pursuing legal action, which is a reasonable route.

The following sections reproduce the PHSO decision. First-person wording refers to the Ombudsman.

The complaint

3. Mrs X complains about the care and treatment Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, provided to her son prior to his death in May 2024.

4. Mrs X believes her son should not have died. Mrs X says the death of her son is a life changing scenario for herself, husband and whole family. She said their lives are changed forever.

5. To resolve his complaint, Mrs X is seeking an apology and a financial remedy.

Findings

7. The law says we cannot investigate a complaint where a person has the option to take legal action, unless we consider it is not reasonable for them to do so. We do not base our decision on how successful legal action would be. Rather, we consider whether legal action is a reasonable option for someone to pursue.

8. We discussed this with Mrs X to understand her circumstances and the outcomes she is hoping to achieve. Mrs X has indicated she is seeking a significant financial remedy due to the Trust’s actions.

9. We understand from Mrs X that a solicitor has already agreed to take on her case.

10. We have considered the relevant factors and law. Mrs X could take legal action on the issues she has brought to us. We do not see any barriers to prevent Mrs X from pursuing legal action and we think it is reasonable that she does so. We have therefore decided not to consider the complaint further.

11. We recognise how important this matter is to Mrs X and the significance of the impact the events have had on her. We thank her for bringing this complaint to our attention.

PHSO decision

1. We have carefully considered Mrs X’s complaint about the Trust. We are sorry to hear about what happened and recognise the significant impact this has had on her and her family.

2. We have decided not to consider the complaint further. This is because Mrs X is in the process of taking legal action and it is reasonable for her to pursue this.

Decision details

Reference
P-004080
Decision type
Statement
Jurisdiction
NHS in England
Decision date
15 September 2025
Outcome
Closed After Initial Enquiries
Responsible body
Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust

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