woman who sought an independent professional review in 1985 of the circumstances surrounding the death of her four-day-old daughter complained of delays in arranging and conducting the investigation. Eighteen months were taken between the initial request and sending the report to the complainant during which there were delays and false assurances. Barrowclough commented that it was intolerable that the complainant, having suffered the tragic death of her baby, should have her ability to come to terms with such a tragic loss hampered by such serious maladministration. Barrowclough also reported on a case where a former hospital patient discovered full-frontal naked photographs of himself in a medical textbook which had been written by the professor who had treated him. The photographs had been used without the patient's knowledge or consent and Barrowclough criticised the breach of confidentiality. Another case received tabloid attention when a patient in a women's ward complained that she had suffered distress when nurses had failed to prevent a drunken man from having sexual intercourse with his wife in a nearby hospital bed. Barrowclough recorded dryly that the complainant said that the husband had started fondling his wife's breast but his wife had deterred him because they were 'not alone. Barrowclough continued that my officer asked the complainant to describe what had happened then; she said that she could hear 'everything' and she instanced the bed creaking, but she could not see anything. The report methodically noted that a nurse found the curtains drawn around the bed and called out "Do you want a hand?" to which the drunken man replied "No thanks, I can manage". When the Ombudsman issued the report, The Sun printed the story with the headline Oh nurse, I'm feeling a little dickie!. Barlow Clowes Barrowclough's greatest achievement as Ombudsman came in his investigation into the actions of the Department of Trade and Industry in licensing the Barlow Clowes group of companies. Barrowclough would report that it was the most complex, wide-ranging and onerous investigation ever undertaken by the Office. The case attracted unprecedented press and Parliamentary attention, with between 150 and 200 MPs contacting the Office. 18,000 customers invested their money with Barlow Clowes on the recommendation of intermediaries. The company was established as a 'bond-washing' operation, in which gilt-edged Government bonds were purchased and sold in order to create tax advantages. Investors believed that their money had been invested risk-free. However, much