The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) provides an independent complaint handling service for complaints that have not been resolved by the NHS in England and UK government departments.
As a Parliamentary body, we share findings from our casework and our policy reports to help Parliament scrutinise public service providers. We do this by working with individual MPs on their local constituent’s complaints or Parliamentary debates or Parliamentary Questions (PQs), as well as informing select committee or All-Party Parliamentary Group inquiries with our policy reports.
We also share our findings more widely to help drive systemic improvements in public services and complaint handling.
On 26 June 2025, Paula Sussex CBE was confirmed as the new Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, succeeding Sir Rob Behrens CBE. Rebecca Hilsenrath KC (Hons) who held the position on an interim basis has returned to her substantive role as Chief Executive of PHSO.
We will be hosting a drop-in event in Parliament for MPs and their staff on Tuesday 28 October 2025, with support from the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC).
Date: Tuesday 28 October 2025
Time: 1pm to 4:30pm
Location: Macmillan Room, Portcullis House, Houses of Parliament
Agenda:
| 1pm to 1:10pm | Introduction to the PHSO and our complaints service from the Chief Executive, Rebecca Hilsenrath KC (Hon) |
| 1:10pm to 1.20pm | Introductory remarks and PHSO’s new strategy from the Ombudsman, Paula Sussex CBE. |
| 1.20pm to 1.30pm | Q&A session |
| 1.30pm to 4.30pm | Drop-in to speak to us at a time of your convenience |
MPs and their staff will have the opportunity to:
- meet and hear from the Ombudsman directly
- find out more about the complaints process
- meet with PHSO colleagues, including Senior Caseworkers and the Policy and Public Affairs Team
- learn more about the role of the Ombudsman and how we help improve public services for your constituents
- hear about our next strategy and the new Ombudsman’s vision.
You can also ask us about:
- any specific constituency complaint queries you have
- how many complaints we’ve received from your constituents in recent years and how this compares to other areas of the country
- any queries or issues you may have with your role in escalating complaints to the Ombudsman (also known as the ‘MP filter’).
Meet the Ombudsman and CEO
- Would you like to have an informal discussion with the Ombudsman or CEO?
- Do you have a query about a complaint you have recently referred?
- Would you like to find out more about our complaints process?
There are a limited number of slots available for MPs to have informal discussions about any individual complaints from your constituents, including those you are planning to refer to PHSO.
If you would like to book a 15-minute slot with the Ombudsman, please contact publicaffairs@ombudsman.org.uk by Friday 17 October 2025 and let us know:
- your preferred time slot(s) between 1:30pm and 4:15pm
- a brief description of what you would like to discuss (including any casework reference numbers if applicable).