Ms D complained about the waiting times at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board for a knee replacement for her daughter, Mrs E, who had very sadly since passed away. Ms D said that she had sent a letter to the Health Board but had only received a response via her Member of Senedd.
The Ombudsman decided that whilst Ms D had written to the Health Board in December 2024, it was not clear that she wanted to raise a complaint. However, it would have been appropriate for the Health Board to have contacted her directly to clarify. She decided to settle the complaint without an investigation.
The Ombudsman sought and gained the Health Board’s agreement that within 2 weeks it would write to Ms D to apologise for not acknowledging her correspondence or seeking to clarify whether she wished to complain.