National Ombudsmen
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NHS is still not serving all patients with learning disabilities well, says Ombudsman
and social care, leading to situations in which people with learning disabilities experienced prolonged suffering and inappropriate care.
The Ombudsman, Dame Julie Mellor said:
“The experience of this young woman and her family is another example of the NHS having further to go in serving patients with learning disabilities well. The challenge of ensuring that all health and social care services improve the day to day experience and outcomes of patients with learning disabilities remains central to delivering a patient-centred NHS.
“The NHS must treat the most vulnerable members of our society better and we will continue to publish cases where the NHS has failed to serve people with learning disabilities so that this issue remains the focus of attention and improvement across health and social care.”
The young woman’s parents complained about a number of issues. The Ombudsman Service’s investigation found service failure on the part of South Essex Emergency Doctors Service and Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and that this service failure had resulted in missed opportunities to save the woman’s life and caused distress to her parents.
You can read the full report at www.Ombudsman.org.uk
See a copy of the report here
Read a PDF copy of this press release here
Notes to editors
1. The report partly upheld the complaint about Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and South East Essex Emergency Doctors Service.
The report did not uphold the complaint against NHS South West Essex or her GP.
2. The Health Service Ombudsman was set up by Parliament to help both individuals and the general public. We are not part of the NHS. The Ombudsman’s role is to investigate complaints that individuals have been treated unfairly or have received poor service from the NHS or NHS funded services. The service is free to use and open to everyone.
3. If someone is unhappy about the service they have received from the NHS in England they should first make their complaint to the department or organisation in question and give them the chance to respond. If they’re not happy with how their complaint is dealt with, they should contact the Ombudsman – call 0345 015 4033 or email
phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk
4. For media enquiries, contact the Ombudsman’s Press Office on 0300 061 4996/4272 or email press@ombudsman.org.uk
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