Dr. A complained that Hywel Dda University Health Board (‘the Health Board’) failed to adequately investigate her complaint about the maternity care that she received. Dr. A felt that her concerns had not been taken seriously and that opportunities to ensure that other women did not have a similar negative experience, were lost.
The Ombudsman decided that there had been a significant delay in the Health Board’s consideration of Dr. A’s complaint. This impacted on the quality of the investigation and resulted in missed opportunities for learning and service improvement. The delays in addressing Dr. A’s complaint caused an injustice to Dr. A, which were only partially remedied by the subsequent actions of the Health Board. The Ombudsman decided to settle the complaint without an investigation.
The Ombudsman sought and gained the Health Board’s agreement to give further consideration to the content of its education and learning programme, review its complaints procedures and write to Dr. A within 3 months to update her on the actions taken as a result of her complaint.