Ms X complained that she had submitted a complaint to the Health Board in October 2021. However, despite chasing the Health Board for a response on several occasions, Ms X was yet to receive the response to her complaint.
The Ombudsman was concerned that Ms X had not received a formal response to her complaint and that she had been inconvenienced by the organisation’s actions. She decided to settle the complaint without an investigation.
The Ombudsman sought and gained the Health Board’s agreement to the following actions as an alternative to investigating the complaint:
• Provide Ms X with an apology for the delay in responding to her complaint.
• Provide Ms X with an explanation for the delay.
• Provide Ms X with an ex-gratia payment of £250 by way of an apology for the delay in responding to her complaint.
• Provide Ms X with a full complaint response by 15 July 2022
23 June 2022