Mr A complained about the care and treatment provided by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to his late wife following her admission to hospital up until she was transferred to a hospice. Mr A submitted a formal complaint to the Health Board but was dissatisfied with the response he received. Mr A complained that the response gave no true explanation of the main things asked and the delay in the response being issued.
The Ombudsman found that although the Health Board had provided a response to Mr A’s formal complaint, it did not fully address the concerns raised about the care and treatment provided to his late wife and did not apologise for the delay in providing the complaint response. The Ombudsman decided to settle the complaint without investigation.
The Ombudsman sought and gained the Health Board’s agreement to apologise for the delay in issuing the complaint response and for not addressing all concerns fully within that response, and to provide a further response to address the full scope of the complaint within 6 weeks.