Home > Publications > Selected Cases > Selected Investigations Completed AprilSeptember 2003 > Case No. E.1356/01-02
Complaint against Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust
Summary of Case
Mr E, aged 70, who was already a hearing aid user, visited his GP to request a reassessment of his hearing as this had deteriorated. The GP referred Mr E to the Trust where he was advised that the waiting time for a hearing re-assessment was two years. Mr E wrote to the Trust to complain that this was wholly unreasonable. The Trust acknowledged that the extensive waiting time was unacceptable and that the funding basis for the service was inadequate to meet current demand. Mr E was not satisfied with this explanation and requested an IR. This request was refused.
Findings
The Ombudsman found that waiting times in other Trust areas were significantly less than in this Trust and concluded that it was reasonable to assume that improvements in waiting times should have been feasible.
The Ombudsman considered the action taken by the Trust to identify, monitor and address the problems it faced. She accepted that the Trust had made some attempt to make the case for additional funding; she also acknowledged that a number of useful local initiatives had resulted from its discussions about the problems of under-resourcing. For its part, the Trust stated that the final decision about resource allocation rested with the PCTs, not the Trust. Whilst recognising that the PCTs shared responsibility for the situation, the Ombudsman was critical of the fact that no one in the Trust at senior management level had taken responsibility for developing a coherent strategy for taking the matter forward towards a satisfactory solution. Such attempts as had been made, she regarded as ineffective and insufficient. Whilst a belated investment by one PCT was welcome, she did, nevertheless, express concern about the unevenness in service provision that such a piecemeal approach would produce. The Ombudsman concluded that it was unacceptable for patients to wait two years for a hearing assessment and upheld the complaint.
Remedy
The Ombudsman recommended that, in conjunction with PCT colleagues, the Trust complete its review of both the structure and the funding arrangements for this service. In view of the seriousness of the situation, the Ombudsman invited the Trust to seek the assistance of the strategic health authority in moving matters forward to a satisfactory conclusion. The Ombudsman further recommended that once additional funding was identified, it should be used in the first instance to secure a significant reduction in waiting times within the first 12 months.
Following completion of the investigation, Mr E wrote to the Ombudsman to thank her for the report and to confirm that it had restored some of his faith in the system, as previously, the Minister of Health had never acknowledged any of Mr E’s correspondence on this matter.
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