Averil Hart: Failings in anorexic teen death care complaint

Averil Hart went to the University of East Anglia to study creative writing

"Substantial failings" have been found in the handling of a father's complaint into the NHS care of his anorexic teenage daughter who died.

Averil Hart, 19, died in 2012 and it took three years after a complaint for the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) to publish its report.

The PHSO has now said failings "combined to result in lengthy delays to the investigation".

Her father, Nic Hart, said their family had been "failed" by the ombudsman.

An inquest into the death of Miss Hart is due to take place in March.

Miss Hart, from Newton in Suffolk, who was studying creative writing at University of East Anglia, died in December 2012 and her father Nic complained to the PHSO about her care in August 2014.

The PHSO report published in 2017 said she had been failed by "every NHS organisation that should have cared for her".

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Foundation Trust was responsible for Miss Hart's overall care at the time.

Averil Hart went to the University of East Anglia to study creative writing

The PHSO has now admitted its investigation should not have taken this long and there was "not a clear and consistent plan in place to resource the investigation".

Five different caseworkers worked on the complaint which meant Mr Hart "had to frequently build new relationships and re-tell his story", the report said.

The report added that "senior managers made commitments to Mr Hart that were not kept and, in some cases, should not have been made".

"The failings combined to result in lengthy delays to the investigation at an extremely difficult and upsetting time for Mr Hart and his family, who were grieving for a loved one.

"Following this detailed review, PHSO would again like to apologise for the many failings identified and for the distress experienced by the complainant and his family."

The PHSO said it had since made "significant improvements" in its approach to handing complaints.

Mr Hart said: "Averil's death was totally avoidable and she was failed by all of those who were responsible for her care.

"Following this her family were failed by the ombudsman, at great personal cost, and during a time when they should have been allowed to grieve."