Health : Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust

Ms X complained that she had submitted a complaint to the Trust in May 2022regarding a delayed Ambulance. The Ambulance did not arrive for 43 minutes, and her husband suffered a cardiac arrest and sadly died at home. Despite receiving 2 holding letters from the Trust, Ms X was yet to receive a full response to her complaint from the Trust.

The Ombudsman was concerned about the delays Ms X had experienced in receiving a complaint response and had been inconvenienced by the Trust’s actions.

The Ombudsman therefore contacted the Trust and it agreed to provide Ms X with an apology, an explanation for the delay and provide a full complaint response or a proposal in relation to taking the case forward, in settlement of Ms X’s complaint and as an alternative to an investigation. The Trust agreed to carry out these actions within 3 weeks of the date of the Complex Case Panel.