In June 2011 Parliament’s Health Committee published their Complaints and Litigation report, highlighting lessons for the NHS, government and us. The Committee recommended that we look again at the way we describe our work to complainants and the public in order to build greater understanding of, and confidence in, our work. We value the feedback they, and others, have given us and are reviewing the language we use in our letters and reports to make them easier to read and understand.

Last year, we launched Facebook and Twitter accounts and a LinkedIn profile, which gave us new ways to share information with different communities about our work. And, for those who prefer to contact us in a language other than English, we increased our use of translation and telephone interpreting services.

There are, however, certain obstacles to access that we simply cannot overcome without the support and actions of government and Parliament.

By law, before we can look closely at an individual’s complaint about a government department or agency, it has to be passed to us by an MP. In 2011-12 we were unable to look more closely at 329 enquiries because they did not meet this requirement.

Throughout the summer of 2011 we consulted on our view that members of the public should be able to bring their complaints to us directly. We found that there was strong support for a ‘dual track’ approach. This would allow complainants the option of making a complaint through an MP or coming to us directly. It would open up access for the individual whilst maintaining the important role MPs play in supporting their constituents.

The essence of being human

In August six of our staff visited the offices of the Public Protector in South Africa. The purpose of the visit was to learn about our South African colleagues’ approach to equality and diversity, their communications with hard-to-reach customer groups and their value of ‘ubuntu’. Ubuntu places a high premium on dignity, compassion, and respect for the humanity of another.