Our role
We are impartial, independent and accountable to Parliament, not to the Government. We do not take sides. We look at the evidence to decide if an organisation has acted properly, and if not, whether they should provide redress to the individual. This may include an apology, explanation or actions to put things right.
Our service is free for everyone.
What we do
We are the final stage in the complaints process for the NHS in England and UK government services.
We do not investigate every complaint we receive. We get involved where it's proportionate and where we can make the greatest impact. We use complaints to identify patterns that show where and how public services are falling short.
We have a transparent and fair process, and we'll let you know about each stage to make sure we provide a consistent, quality service. Find out more about how we deal with complaints.
We share findings from our casework to help Parliament scrutinise public service providers. Our aim is for public services to learn from these individual and systemic failings and to improve.
We believe that complaints play an important role in surfacing the truth, bringing closure and building trust. When handled well, they lead to lasting improvements that make public services better for everyone.
If you have a complaint, use our online complaint checker to see if we can help.
Our powers and accountability
We combine the two statutory roles of Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration (the Parliamentary Ombudsman) and Health Service Commissioner for England (Health Service Ombudsman).
Our powers are set out in the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 and the Health Service Commissioners Act 1993.
Our work is scrutinised by the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee.
Read more about the legislation that governs our work.
Our Board
We are governed by a unitary, decision-making board of executives and non-executives. The Board’s main purpose is to make decisions about our strategic direction and performance.
Our non-executive Board members bring an external perspective to our corporate governance. They come from diverse professional backgrounds and bring a wide range of experiences.
Our vision and values
Find our more about our vision and values.