"A person complained to a hospital about a vulnerable family member losing property at the hospital. They said the family member was not in a position to keep track of their belongings when they were transferred to the ward. The hospital investigated the complaint and did not find any evidence of staff carelessness or mishandling of property and therefore declined to replace the property. The person complained to the Ombudsman.
The Ombudsman contacted the health service responsible for the hospital to determine the status of the hospital’s investigation into the matter. As a result of the Ombudsman’s enquiry, the health service completed a further assessment and determined that the hospital’s policy on personal property will be reviewed. The health service also decided to reimburse the person for the lost property.
The Ombudsman later followed up with the health service to confirm that the reimbursement had been processed and the hospital’s policy had been updated to address the handling of valuable personal property."