This is the governance statement taken from our annual report 2024 to 2025.
Introduction
This governance statement sets out the governance, risk management and internal control arrangements for the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. It applies to the financial year 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.
Statutory position
The Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 and the Health Commissioners Act 1993, respectively, define the statutory roles of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration (the Parliamentary Ombudsman) and Health Service Commissioner (the Health Service Ombudsman). These two roles are vested in one individual post as the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.
Governance structure
As Accounting Officer, I am responsible for the sound governance and effective internal control of the Ombudsman service.
I was formally appointed on 26 June 2025. The timing of this appointment in advance of joining the organisation on a full-time basis on 1 August has allowed the vital work of the organisation to continue and, in particular, to enable our teams to review cases, take action where appropriate and, in so doing, give service users access to justice. In the intervening period until I take up the role full-time, I have been working closely with the Executive Team and the Board to take formal assurance on the decisions taken in our casework.
Rebecca Hilsenrath KC (Hon), Chief Executive Officer, was Acting Ombudsman for the accounting year to 31 March 2025. Rebecca has, together with the Board, the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee and the Executive Team, provided assurance to me that the content of this governance statement is an accurate reflection of the period before my tenure as Ombudsman.
In law, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman is a corporation sole and has a personal jurisdiction. This is not consistent with requirements of good governance. Therefore, a unitary Board is in place to strengthen the governance of the organisation. My executive responsibilities, as a corporation sole, are thus exercised personally as an individual (in 2024 to 2025 these were exercised by the Acting Ombudsman) but also aided by means of defined and corporate arrangements that allow for proper scrutiny. As Chair of the Board in 2024 to 2025, Rebecca Hilsenrath KC (Hon) promoted collective decision-making. As Acting Ombudsman, she reserved the right, given the statutory role, to depart from the Board’s decisions but only in exceptional circumstances and with a commitment to put reasons in writing. This right was not exercised in 2024 to 2025.
As Ombudsman, I have a statutory responsibility for individual cases. To ensure that this is managed within a defined system of appropriate oversight, a detailed scheme of casework delegated authority is in place, which includes two appointed Deputy Ombudsman: Rebecca Hilsenrath KC (Hon), Chief Executive Officer, and Karl Banister, Director of Operations, Legal and Clinical. In 2024 to 2025, the Acting Ombudsman acted personally in complex cases and in cases where serious or repeated mistakes that could have system-wide relevance were identified. I will continue to do so. The Board scrutinises overall performance of casework, but not individual cases.
As Accounting Officer, I am accountable to Parliament for the stewardship of our resources. I delegated executive responsibility to the Chief Executive Officer for effective financial control arrangements as Accountable Officer. This is a contractual responsibility and allows me to have a separate accountable person charged with stewardship and probity for our use of public money.
I discharge my responsibility through assurance from the Chief Executive Officer, the Executive Team, and through assurance and challenge by the Board and its committees.
Paula Sussex
Accounting Officer, Ombudsman and Chair
Our Governance Framework
Download the Governance Framework (PDF 643KB)
Register of Interests
The interests of the non-executive and executive Board members are recorded in our Register of Interests (PDF 174KB). These details are updated annually and as required.