User experience
We will:
- transform how people access and experience our service, using digital tools and AI-enabled pathways to make it clearer, faster and more transparent at every stage
- provide clear, responsive advice that helps people understand their options, access the most appropriate support and resolve issues early wherever possible
- collect and analyse real-time feedback and user insight to continuously improve the design and delivery of our service, better meet people’s needs, and model a culture of learning.
Our process needs to be easy to understand and navigate for people from a wide variety of backgrounds and with different needs. It also needs to be efficient so complainants and organisations can engage constructively with us.
We will produce clear, empathetic communication that makes sure people feel heard and supported, even when the decisions we reach are difficult for them to receive. Feedback from people who use our service is vital to help improve our service and helps us to understand the impact on people when things go wrong.
We will make sure it is simple and straightforward for people to contact us. New online accounts will allow people to make complaints, and organisations we investigate to engage with us, more easily.
We will continue to offer accessible, non-digital ways for people contact us, including our phone line and alternative formats including Easy Read and British Sign Language (BSL) options.
An investigation into interpretation services provided by an NHS trust
An investigation by the Ombudsman found that a lack of BSL interpreters caused worry and distress to a patient’s family and affected their ability to communicate with medical staff. We recommended that the Trust create an action plan detailing how it will prevent this from happening again, apologise and provide financial compensation. We also raised concerns about access to BSL interpreters with NHS England and the Royal National Institute for Deaf People.
People’s experiences inform our decisions and highlight our commitment to fairness and accountability. Our work can make meaningful change and help build public trust through a culture of openness and learning across the public sector.