Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
2020-21 saw the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) reach the end of our three-year corporate strategy. In the context of the unprecedented challenges brought about by the pandemic, we achieved most of our strategic aims. This is testament to the hard and skilful work of our staff, who I would like to thank for their unwavering professionalism and dedication to delivering our strategic goals.
Delivering organisational objectives
The successful delivery of the corporate strategy means significant progress is being made towards achieving our vision of being an exemplary ombudsman service.
In 2020-21, PHSO:
- increased professional development for case handlers
- introduced a new quality standards framework for assessing casework
- implemented many of the recommendations of the clinical advice review commissioned from Sir Liam Donaldson and Sir Alex Allan
- increased transparency around how we work
- brought justice and redress to people who had nowhere else to turn.
In addition, PHSO delivered the following key projects.
Complaint Standards for the NHS
We published the NHS Complaint Standards following a positive public consultation. The Standards are being piloted later this year with organisations across NHS services. This key initiative will help improve service delivery in the NHS, recognise complaint handling as a professional skill and help to deliver consistency across the healthcare system in England.
Improving public services
PHSO continued to use its unique evidence base to highlight public service failings and call for practical, targeted improvements. Our report Continuing Healthcare: Getting it right the first time highlighted serious issues with the provision and funding of care for some of the most vulnerable people in society. Making Complaints Count: Supporting complaints handling in the NHS and UK Government Departments presented a comprehensive overview of evidence supporting reform of complaints procedures in the NHS.
Increasing transparency
PHSO’s casework decisions portal was developed throughout the year and launched in April 2021. Achieving this significant milestone enables PHSO to routinely publish casework decisions online, making our findings much more accessible to the public and organisations we investigate.
International collaboration
PHSO continued to share best practice and learn from and participate in the international ombudsman community. We were represented on the Boards of the International Ombudsman Institute and the Ombudsman Association where we provide the Secretariat (Faye Glover) for the Public Service Ombudsman Group. I published my interim report, The Ombudsman, coronavirus and crisis management, which highlighted research carried out with members of the International Ombudsman Institute on the challenges brought about by COVID-19.
In December 2020, the UK Government co-sponsored United Nations General Assembly ratification of the Principles on the Protection and Promotion of the Ombudsman Institution, following effective lobbying by PHSO. These statements, known as ‘The Venice Principles,’ and endorsed by the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission, recognise the importance of the institution of Ombudsman as an integral part of a democratic, accountable, political system. They constitute important benchmarks against which to assess our development and helped us draw Government and select committee attention to weaknesses in UK arrangements.
Finally, in March 2021, PHSO and the South African Health Ombudsman reached a twinning agreement to improve complaint handling across both countries. This was signed and announced formally at the beginning of April 2021.
Looking ahead
The impact of COVID-19, along with the postponement of the three-year Comprehensive Spending Review, means that PHSO’s new strategy will not be launched until 2022-23. This will allow for a period of recovery and stabilisation as the public sector emerges from the pandemic and its effects.
In the meantime we have a bridging strategy in place and I look forward to staff consultation on the new strategy over the summer and early autumn.
Download the Ombudsman's Annual Report and Accounts 2020-21 (PDF, 9MB)
