Welcome to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

Governance

The Ombudsman
The Executive Board
The Advisory Board

The post of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman combines the two statutory roles of Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration and Health Service Commissioner for England. The Ombudsman is appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. She is independent of government and has statutory responsibilities and powers to report directly to Parliament. The Ombudsman is solely responsible and accountable for the conduct and administration of all work carried out by the Office of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman and for the decisions made in each case.

Senior staff (as at 31 March 2011)

Ann Abraham
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

Claire Forbes
Director of Communications

Kathryn Hudson
Deputy Ombudsman

Bill Richardson
Deputy Chief Executive

Anne Harding
Legal Adviser

Operations Directors

Carole Auchterlonie
Gwen Harrison
James Johnstone
Jack Kellett
Gavin McBurnie
Ali McMurray
Philip Trewhitt

Corporate Resources Directors

Marie Cheek
Graham Payne
Jon Ward

The Executive Board

An Executive Board, chaired by the Ombudsman and comprising the Deputy Ombudsman, the Deputy Chief Executive and the Director of Communications, manages the Office’s functions and activities. The Executive Board is responsible for the delivery of the Office’s strategic vision, policies and services to the public and other stakeholders.

The Executive Board meets regularly and is responsible for co-ordinating activity across the organisation. It is the ultimate forum (supported appropriately by other groups) for making executive decisions about operational, resource, communications and other administrative matters in order to deliver the Strategic and Corporate Business Plans, and for monitoring performance. The role of the Executive Board in decision making carries a recognition that, on occasion, there will be some issues for which the decision maker is the Ombudsman alone.

Executive Board (as at 31 March 2011)


Ann Abraham	Claire Forbes

Kathryn Hudson	Bill Richardson

The Advisory Board

To enhance the governance of the Office, improve the transparency with which it operates and bolster the independence of the role, the Ombudsman has appointed a non-statutory Advisory Board. This comprises the Ombudsman (as Chair and Chief Executive in line with her statutory accountability) and up to four non-executive members. The role of the Advisory Board is to act as a ‘critical friend’, to support and advise the Ombudsman and to bring an external perspective to assist in the development of policy and practice.

The Advisory Board provides specific advice and support on:

purpose, vision and values
strategic direction and planning
accountability to stakeholders, including stewardship of public funds
internal control and risk management arrangements.

The Advisory Board has no role in casework processes or decisions.

The Advisory Board has two formal sub-committees, which have key roles in supporting the effective governance of the Office:

an Audit Committee, which is responsible for providing advice and assurance to the Ombudsman as Accounting Officer, and the Advisory Board, and the Executive Board, on the adequacy and effectiveness of internal control and risk management. It also oversees internal and external audit arrangements, which cover all areas of the Office’s work, including both financial and non-financial systems. It has four members: an external Chair appointed by the Ombudsman through a process of fair and open competition; the Ombudsman and two further external members.
a Pay Committee, which is responsible for providing advice on pay arrangements in the Office, and specifically for determining the pay of senior staff (except the Ombudsman, which is set separately under statutory arrangements). Its membership is the Ombudsman (as Chair) and two members of the Advisory Board.