Director of Strategy and Communications
March this year saw the end of our three-year corporate strategy. Last year, many of you were generous with your time in offering feedback on our draft new strategy. Given the unprecedented circumstances of the pandemic, we decided that it was not the right time to commence a new three-year strategy. Instead, we adopted a one-year bridging plan.
We are now half-way through that bridging plan and have taken advantage of the additional time to reframe the strategy in light of your comments and in light of recent developments. We are now coming back to you to seek feedback on what we propose as our new strategy for 2022-2025, to run subject to and concurrently with the new Comprehensive Spending Review settlement.
Challenges and opportunities
Steve Jobs said that strategy is figuring out what not to do, and he is not the only one to have articulated this approach. Nor are we the only organisation facing great challenges as we look towards the post-lockdown era.
The pandemic has changed the landscape and placed profound pressure on the NHS, as well as on public services across the piece. We are planning for the future in the knowledge that health providers across the country continue to face immense workloads, both in terms of the continuing threat of COVID-19 and in terms of long waiting lists. We will need to bear that context in mind and maintain a constructive partnership while ensuring the NHS, at this most critical time, remains accountable, learns from mistakes and provides an improved and more cost-efficient service for the challenges to come.
In many ways, the pandemic shone a light on existing problems and exacerbated barriers, fault-lines and gaps. Now that we have seen them writ large, we cannot afford to lose the opportunity to address them. We have got used to living in unprecedented times and we need a roadmap, focusing on the critical issues, which will help PHSO be the organisation that is needed at this point in history.
New strategic objectives
The Board and leadership of PHSO are rightly proud of the transformation they have led over the past four years. The ambition now is to build on that success. We want to reach out to communities who are less likely to complain to us and address barriers. We want to focus on partnerships, considering our place in the sector and broader justice landscape. We want to focus on continuous improvement in the service we provide, while playing our part in the international arena and meeting the standards set by Ombudsman organisations across the world. We want to focus on the value we can add to the organisations we investigate.
Bearing in mind Steve Jobs’ advice, we have set out our ambitions in a clear strategic framework which will help provide clarity on our direction of travel. Our three new strategic objectives are:
- that people who use public services have a better awareness of the role of the Ombudsman and can easily access our service
- that people we work with receive a high quality, empathetic and timely service, according to international Ombudsman principles
- that we contribute to a culture of learning and continuous improvement, leading to high standards in public service.
The purpose of our work in making complaints count has never been so important as we start to learn the lessons of Covid. We want to be central to the effort to improve public services in this country. We know your time is a precious and limited resource, but your views are very important to us. Please help us by responding to our consultation and telling us what you think.
Closing date: 29 November 2021
Share your views on our draft corporate strategy for 2022-2025
