The Windrush Compensation Scheme was set up to pay people fairly for the suffering caused by failings in public services. However, I have seen that the journey to justice has not been straightforward for many individuals and their families.
For the last four years, we have closely monitored the complaints we have received about the Compensation Scheme. The stories we have shared in this report show the wide-ranging and complex challenges people have faced and how we have intervened to make a difference. We have also advocated for future claimants by calling for changes to the Compensation Scheme’s eligibility criteria.
We know there are more people struggling with the Compensation Scheme than those who have come to us. The need for people to ask their MP to refer a complaint to us prevents many people from seeking the help they need. This is something we have asked the Government to change.
When things go wrong, public services must listen to people and help them. Our role is to help build trust between people and public bodies, leading to better public services. This latest spotlight report, following on from previous publications on sepsis and maternity care, once again shows the need to talk about failings in public services. The experiences of those affected by the Post Office scandal, the Infected Blood Inquiry and the communication of changes to the women's State Pension age echo what we have also been hearing from Windrush generation complainants. Those who have been failed cannot be let down all over again by the mechanisms established to provide compensation.
The lessons learned here have far-reaching implications for how we provide appropriate and timely remedy when an organisation has done something wrong or provided a poor service. We hope our report will lead to changes in the Windrush Compensation Scheme and also essential learning ahead of what may follow for the victims of those other, well-published failings.
We have a collective responsibility to make sure the Windrush generation receives the justice they are owed. To those who have experienced difficulties with the Compensation Scheme, we urge you to speak up. Your voice matters, and we are here to help.
Rebecca Hilsenrath
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman