Norfolk & Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (24 006 266a)

Statement Upheld Hospital acute services 26-Mar-2026

Summary: Mrs Y and Mrs X complained about Norfolk County Council (the Council), Norfolk & Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (the Hospital Trust) and Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust (the Community Trust). They complained about flawed hospital discharge, poor communication and poor care in a residential reablement unit. We have upheld some of their complaints about poor communication by the Hospital Trust and the Council, and poor care by the Council. We consider the faults we found led to avoidable distress and loss of dignity for Mrs X, and avoidable frustration, uncertainty and worry for both complainants. The Hospital Trust and the Council have accepted our recommendations for remedy. We have not upheld the other complaints. We have now completed our investigation.

Norfolk & Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (24 006 266b)

Statement Upheld Hospital acute services 26-Mar-2026

Summary: Mrs Y and Mrs X complained about Norfolk County Council (the Council), Norfolk & Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (the Hospital Trust) and Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust (the Community Trust). They complained about flawed hospital discharge, poor communication and poor care in a residential reablement unit. We have upheld some of their complaints about poor communication by the Hospital Trust and the Council, and poor care by the Council. We consider the faults we found led to avoidable distress and loss of dignity for Mrs X, and avoidable frustration, uncertainty and worry for both complainants. The Hospital Trust and the Council have accepted our recommendations for remedy. We have not upheld the other complaints. We have now completed our investigation.

Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust (24 006 266c)

Statement Upheld Hospital acute services 26-Mar-2026

Summary: Mrs Y and Mrs X complained about Norfolk County Council (the Council), Norfolk & Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (the Hospital Trust) and Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust (the Community Trust). They complained about flawed hospital discharge, poor communication and poor care in a residential reablement unit. We have upheld some of their complaints about poor communication by the Hospital Trust and the Council, and poor care by the Council. We consider the faults we found led to avoidable distress and loss of dignity for Mrs X, and avoidable frustration, uncertainty and worry for both complainants. The Hospital Trust and the Council have accepted our recommendations for remedy. We have not upheld the other complaints. We have now completed our investigation.

Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust (24 006 266d)

Statement Upheld Hospital acute services 26-Mar-2026

Summary: Mrs Y and Mrs X complained about Norfolk County Council (the Council), Norfolk & Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (the Hospital Trust) and Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust (the Community Trust). They complained about flawed hospital discharge, poor communication and poor care in a residential reablement unit. We have upheld some of their complaints about poor communication by the Hospital Trust and the Council, and poor care by the Council. We consider the faults we found led to avoidable distress and loss of dignity for Mrs X, and avoidable frustration, uncertainty and worry for both complainants. The Hospital Trust and the Council have accepted our recommendations for remedy. We have not upheld the other complaints. We have now completed our investigation.

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (25 011 576a)

Statement Not upheld Hospital acute services 19-Mar-2026

Summary: Mrs A complained about the hospital discharge process for her mother and the Council’s complaint response. We found fault with how the Council communicated with Mrs A; it did not provide a full explanation of how it made decisions. This caused uncertainty and Mrs A felt she wasn’t listened to. We also found fault with the language used in the Council’s complaint response which led to further uncertainty for Mrs A. The Council agreed to our recommendations to remedy this. We found no fault with the Trust’s actions.

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust (25 013 482a)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Hospital acute services 16-Mar-2026

Summary: Mr X complains about the hospital discharge arrangements for his mother. He also complains about inadequate considerations for Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and Continuing Healthcare for his mother. We will not investigate the events surrounding the hospital discharges as these complaints are late. We will not investigate the other complaints because the organisations have already accepted fault and provided appropriate remedies. We are therefore unlikely to achieve more.

Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (25 012 944a)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Hospital acute services 04-Mar-2026

Summary: Mr X complains Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council and Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust failed to adequately address his complaints about his sister’s care and care-planning. We will not investigate the complaint because it is late and we have not found a good reason to put that aside and investigate it now.

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust (24 003 695a)

Statement Not upheld Hospital acute services 25-Feb-2026

Summary: Mr B complained on behalf of his mother, Ms C, that the Trust did not provide suitable rehabilitation in hospital, that the Trust and Council failed to communicate changes to Ms C’s care plan, and that the Council did not communicate with Ms C about charges for care and wrongly charged her. We found fault with how the Council communicated with Ms C about charges, and that this caused uncertainty and distress to Ms C and Mr B. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a symbolic payment, and improve services. We found no fault in the Trust’s actions.

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust (24 003 695b)

Statement Not upheld Hospital acute services 25-Feb-2026

Summary: Mr B complained on behalf of his mother, Ms C, that the Trust did not provide suitable rehabilitation in hospital, that the Trust and Council failed to communicate changes to Ms C’s care plan, and that the Council did not communicate with Ms C about charges for care and wrongly charged her. We found fault with how the Council communicated with Ms C about charges, and that this caused uncertainty and distress to Ms C and Mr B. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a symbolic payment, and improve services. We found no fault in the Trust’s actions.

Medway NHS Foundation Trust (25 010 177a)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Hospital acute services 20-Feb-2026

Summary: Ms Y complained on behalf of her late father, Mr X, that the Trust and Council failed to assess Mr X properly before he left hospital, that Mr X was transferred to a care home that was not suitable for him and could not meet his needs, and that Mr X sustained an unexplained eye injury. Ms Y also complained the Trust failed to protect Mr X’s dignity. We will not investigate Ms Y’s complaint as it is unlikely we would find fault, or add to the responses Ms Y has already received from the organisations.