Mr H has multiple sclerosis and has a catheter to drain urine from his bladder into a bag. When his supply of catheter bags ran low, Mr H would ring his local primary care trust (NHS Hertfordshire) and they would arrange for replacements to be provided.
One day when Mr H rang NHS Hertfordshire, they told him that they could not send more. Instead, under a new system, he would have to obtain a prescription for catheter bags from his GP before NHS Hertfordshire would provide them.
Mr H rang the Ombudsman. He said he had been given no warning about the change in the prescribing system, and that he was running low on catheter bags. We spoke to staff at NHS Hertfordshire, explained the situation, and asked if they could help. They agreed to continue providing Mr H with catheter bags until he was able to see his GP.