News
Communication failures led to wrong treatment that left five-year-old girl traumatised
5 June 2026
Effective communication is a critical tool in preventing harm. This has been highlighted in a case where a child was left bleeding and in severe pain after being wrongly prescribed a vaginal pessary following an appointment with a physician associate...
Press releases
Grandmother died after Trust failed to diagnose and treat her blocked bowel
2 June 2026
A 76-year-old woman died after doctors missed repeated warning signs of a bowel obstruction and she was unable to communicate her intensifying stomach pain to medical staff because the Trust failed to provide an interpreter. The Parliamentary and Health Ombudsman...
Press releases
Women refused sterilisation because they might regret it
1 May 2026
NHS commissioned services should operate fairly, transparently and with clear clinical rationale, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) has said following an investigation which found that an NHS body denied women, but not men, NHS funding for sterilisation. This...
Press releases
Knife attack might not have happened if mental health care had been better
30 April 2026
A knife attack might have been prevented if the perpetrator had received better mental health care, an investigation by England’s Health Ombudsman has found. In November 2020, a 31-year-old man stabbed a man in his thirties, just one month after...
Press releases
New Ombudsman strategy aims to turn complaints into catalyst for public service improvement
21 April 2026
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) has launched its new five-year strategy , marking a renewed commitment to delivering fair and impartial justice for individuals and a greater focus on its role in improving public services. The Ombudsman investigates...
Press releases