R v Canterbury & Thanet District Health Authority, ex parte F & W; South East Thames Regional Health Authority, ex p F & W

(1994) 5 Med LR 132

CIVIL DIVISION

Lord Justice STUART-SMITH, and Mr Justice JUDGE

Judicial review — Health authorities — Complaints procedure — Duty to receive and consider complaints — Health authority's decision to abort procedure in face of legal proceedings — Whether complaints procedure inappropriate where litigation was likely — Primary purpose of procedure — Whether health authorities justified in deciding that applicant complainants should not be included in procedure — Whether health authorities” decision to abort procedure which they had set up with regard to other complainants was unreasonable — Whether regional health authority had completely divested themselves of responsibility — Exercise of court's discretion