This is the governance statement taken from our annual report 2023 to 2024.
Introduction
This governance statement sets out the governance, risk management and internal control
arrangements for the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. It applies to the financial year 1
April 2023 to 31 March 2024.
Statutory position
The Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 and the Health Commissioners Act 1993, respectively,
define the statutory roles of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration (the Parliamentary
Ombudsman) and Health Service Commissioner (the Health Service Ombudsman). These two roles
are vested in one individual post as the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.
Governance structure
As Acting Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, in statute and by warrant of His Majesty, I
am responsible for the sound governance and effective internal control of the Ombudsman service.
I joined PHSO as Director of Strategy in 2021, and subsequently succeeded Amanda Amroliwala as
Chief Executive Officer on 31 July 2024. I was appointed Acting Commissioner (Acting Ombudsman)
on 19 April 2024. Sir Rob Behrens, CBE, was Ombudsman for the accounting year ending March 2024.
I was Director of Strategy and then Chief Executive Officer during this time. Regular discussions
with the former Ombudsman as well as my attendance at Board, Executive Team and Audit and Risk
Assurance Committee meetings through the year assure me that the content of this governance
statement is an accurate reflection of the period prior to my tenure as Acting Ombudsman.
In law the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman is a corporation sole and has a personal
jurisdiction. This is not consistent with requirements of good governance. Therefore, a unitary
Board (which I chair) is in place to strengthen the governance of the organisation. My executive
responsibilities, as a corporation sole, are thus exercised personally as an individual but also aided by
means of defined and corporate arrangements that allow for proper scrutiny. As Chair of the Board,
I promote collective decision-making. I reserve the right, given my statutory role, to depart from the
Board’s decisions but only in exceptional circumstances and with a commitment to put my reasons
in writing. This right was not exercised by my predecessor in 2023 to 2024.
I have a statutory responsibility for individual cases but have given authority for case activity to
officers in a written delegation scheme. I act personally in complex cases and where we identify
serious or repeated mistakes that may have system-wide relevance. To ensure that this extensive
casework is managed within a defined system of appropriate oversight, I have a detailed scheme
of casework delegated authority, which includes the Deputy Ombudsman: Karl Banister, Director
of Operations, Clinical and Legal. The Board scrutinises overall performance of casework, but not
individual cases.
Rebecca Hilsenrath
Accounting Officer, Ombudsman and Chair
Our Governance Framework
Download the Governance Framework (PDF 646KB)
Register of Interests
The interests of the non-executive and executive Board members are recorded in our Register of Interests (PDF 172KB). These details are updated annually and as required.