Hospitals fail to investigate deaths

The failure of the NHS to investigate the unexpected deaths of nearly 1,500 patients with mental health and learning disabilities was reported by the BBC. A leaked report blamed the culture of Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust and its leadership.

Although it is the case that some groups fare worse than others, such as the learning disabled and the elderly, failure to properly investigate deaths is widespread across NHS.

From the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (08 December 2015)

"Nearly three quarters of hospital investigations into complaints about avoidable harm and death claimed there were no failings in the care given, despite the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's investigations of the same incidents uncovering serious failings."

"The wide-ranging review of the quality of NHS investigations into complaints about avoidable harm or death by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, found that inadequate hospital investigations are leaving distraught patients and families without answers and delaying much-needed service improvements..."

"Cases highlighted in the report include:
The parents of a baby girl, who was left with permanent brain damage due to errors with a blood transfusion, had to wait three years to find out what happened to their child. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman found that the NHS's investigation was carried out by a close colleague of the paediatrician in charge the day the mistake happened.
In another case a young mother had her life cut short because of serious failings by a hospital trust to carry out tests to diagnose breast cancer and begin treatment. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's investigation found that the trust failed to fully investigate the case and did not acknowledge the extent of the failings or the impact on the patient."
http://www.ombudsman.org.uk/about-us/news-centre/press-releases/2015/devastated-families-left-without-answers-as-avoidable-death-and-harm-incidents-arent-being-investigated-properly-by-hospitals-across-england2