Patient’s symptoms should have prompted checks for endometriosis: Investigation of a complaint against the Western Health & Social Care Trust (Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman, 1 August 2025)

Summary

This report from the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman relates to a patient’s complaint about care and treatment the Western Health & Social Care Trust. The patient sought medical assistance since 2013 for a chronic, undiagnosed condition and raised concerns about the Trust’s failure to identify a root cause of her condition.

The investigation identified a failure in care and treatment. It found the Trust did not perform an MRI scan by an appropriate specialist to assist with diagnosis of the cause of the complainants ongoing symptoms between 2013 and September 2022 which were caused by deep endometriosis. It states that the failure identified led to a delay in diagnosis for the patient which meant she experienced prolonged chronic pain without an earlier opportunity for treatment.