Case Ref: 200502750 - Forth Valley NHS Board

This complaint raised a number of concerns relating to the cremation of a baby and the subsequent handling and investigation of the complaint by Forth Valley NHS Board.

Although this complaint was upheld and a number of failures in the complaint handling were identified, for example communication failures, there were some aspects that could be considered good practice.

The Board took the complaint seriously and carried out a thorough initial investigation, which included obtaining statements from relevant staff members, reviewing all relevant communication and medical notes as well as meeting with the complainants. The Board also conducted a root cause analysis in relation to the circumstances involved in the complaints.

Despite upholding the complaint due to unacceptable management of, and communication with, the complainants, the investigating officer did conclude in the investigation report that "the Board have, in my view, taken effective and efficient measures in their work to identify what went wrong and have taken steps to ensure, to the best of their ability, that this kind of situation does not arise again. The Board's management and response to the process issues involved in this case have been, in my view, excellent"

To read the full, published investigation report please click here and input the case reference number.