When Mr S, who has learning difficulties, tried to register with a local GP practice his application was refused. Shortly afterwards, two GP surgeries asked the Primary Care Trust to register Mr S on a scheme for violent patients.

Mr S, who spent over two years on the scheme, was distressed by being labelled as violent. He complained to the Trust that he had been wrongly placed on the scheme, that he had not been told why this had happened and that he had not been given the opportunity to challenge the decision.

When the Trust responded that his placement on the scheme was correct, he complained to us.

We were able to put things right for Mr S without the need for a formal investigation. Our enquiries showed that there was no evidence that Mr S had ever made a threat of violence. Alongside this, doctors who knew Mr S had said that he did not belong on the scheme and that he had been placed on it because of a lack of alternatives to meet his needs.

We agreed with Mr S that the decision to place him on the scheme was wrong. We discussed this with the Trust and they agreed to apologise to Mr S, and pay him £2,000 in compensation. They also made changes to the scheme to prevent the same situation happening again.