Annual data on complaints made to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, 2023 to 2024

24 July 2024

The data published here includes information on complaints we received about the NHS in England, UK government departments and other public services. This data covers the period from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 and shows the decisions we made at each stage in the process. For further information see the Ombudsman’s Annual report 2023 to 2024. 

We’ve changed the way we handle complaints and now only look into the more serious cases. We do not consider complaints where the impact of the claimed injustice is relatively limited. This is to make sure that we make the best use our resources to investigate the most serious matters. You can find out more about what happens when we first receive a complaint, how we decide if we can investigate and what to expect if we do on our How we deal with complaints page. 

Data for 2023 to 2024

We publish our data in .csv and an accessible .pdf format. If you need the data in a different format, please email publicaffairs@ombudsman.org.uk. 

Information on the data tables

An explanation of some specific column headings in the data tables is provided below. 

  • Complaints received: This is the number of complaints we received between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024. The number of decisions we made may be different from the number of complaints we received. This is because we may have received some complaints in the previous year and made a decision the following year. For example, a complaint might be received in 2022 to 2023 then decided following a detailed investigation in 2023 to 2024. 
  • Complaints resolved by mediation: Complaints where we have helped complainants and organisations agree a resolution through our mediation service. 
  • Decided following primary investigation: Complaints where we made a decision following a primary investigation. This is when we look to see if the complaint can be resolved quickly without the need for further investigation. These figures do not include cases closed by mediation. 
  • Resolved with agreement of the complainant at initial checks or primary investigation: This includes complaints we have resolved with the agreement of the complainant, without mediation or further investigation. 

Help us improve 

If there is any way we could make our data more user-friendly or accessible, please let us know. Email your ideas, comments and feedback to publicaffairs@ombudsman.org.uk