Health Service Ombudsman Michael Buckley

The ombudsman, Michael Buckley, said that their behaviour was "unacceptable".

"I can only conclude that trust staff put their concerns about the previous involvement of a private clinic above her care," he said.

The case was just one in which complaints from the public were upheld by the watchdog.

The case of the stuck file

Happened during a hip replacement operation at Queen Elizabeth II Hospital, Welwyn Garden City During the insertion of part of the artificial hip joint, pressure was lost in the fixing cement The consultant used a rasp to try and maintain a gap between cement and joint - but it set unexpectedly and the rasp was fixed in The patient suffered bone damage as the surgeon tried to remove the rasp - and required more surgery

In another, a woman was left with a metal rasp stuck fast in her hip joint after replacement surgery went wrong.

A third hospital, in Newport on the Isle of Wight, was criticised for repeatedly failing to diagnose a fatal bone marrow illness in a 25-year-old man.

In the Doncaster Royal Infirmary case, the woman was sent by her GP to the private breast screening clinic because he suspected a possible breast abnormality.

After taking x-rays, the clinic said they had found a small irregularity and suggested more detailed investigations were needed, so the GP referred her on to the NHS hospital.

However, a surgeon discharged her without any further investigations. The radiologist said that nothing sinister could be spotted on the x-ray film, and suggested she go back to the private clinic for the investigations they had recommended.

I can only conclude that trust staff put their concerns about the previous involvement of a private clinic above her care

Michael Buckley, Health Ombudsman

In a letter to the GP, the radiologist expressed concern about why a private patient had been referred to the trust - he said that he had not looked at the x-rays "with any great intent", as he did not want to become involved with the case.

However, the GP decided to try another NHS hospital, where cancer was confirmed and a lump removed.

The Ombudsman's own expert radiologist looked at the disputed x-ray film, and said that the problem area was easy to spot.

The watchdog said that there could have been a significant delay in treating the cancer if her GP had not pursued the matter.

More than a dozen cases in hospitals, GP surgeries, and in one case, a pharmacy, were highlighted in the report.

They included:

• A case in which poor staffing over a weekend may have contributed to the death of a patient following surgery
• A case in which a patient died after a pharmacist dispensed the wrong drug
• A case in which staff failed to spot the infection which could have contributed to the death of a premature baby

The Health Service Ombudsman receives hundreds of complaints from members of the public every year.

It is allowed to investigate those which have already run the full course of the NHS complaints system, and patients are still unsatisfied about the manner with which the complaint has been dealt.