Press releases

Grandmother’s painful death from cancer was avoidable, Ombudsman finds

22 May 2018

A 73-year-old grandmother’s death from bladder cancer was avoidable, an investigation by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) has found. She died following a hospital’s nine-month delay to diagnose her. An inadequate local investigation failed to recognise this, and...

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NHS failing patients with mental health problems

20 March 2018

Vulnerable patients with mental health conditions are being badly let down by the NHS, causing them and their families needless suffering and distress, according to a Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman report published today. The Ombudsman has also found that...

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Death of woman, 19, from anorexia was avoidable, Ombudsman rules

8 December 2017

A young woman’s death from anorexia nervosa would have been prevented had the NHS provided appropriate care and treatment, according to a Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) report published today. Averil Hart died on 15 December 2012, aged only...

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New data on complaints about government departments published

4 December 2017

New data on complaints about government departments and their agencies in 2016-17 was published by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) today. The report shows the Ombudsman handled almost 7,000 complaints about central government last year and completed a...

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Older patients’ families struggle to complain about poor hospital care

17 August 2017

Older vulnerable people are often reliant on relatives to raise concerns when things go wrong in hospital, yet over half (51%) of family members with a concern say it is difficult to complain about the hospital care or treatment of...

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Ombudsmen issue report showing benefits of integrating health and social care complaints investigations

22 December 2016

Adopting an integrated approach to investigating complaints about health and social care has led to significant benefits, according to a new report by the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) and Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). Published today, the report explains...

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Ombudsman upholds three in four complaints about the Home Office, report reveals

21 December 2016

Incorrect decisions, delays and wrong advice are the top reasons for the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman upholding the highest proportion of complaints about the Home Office than any other government department, a report published today reveals. The report outlines...

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Complaints about avoidable deaths and delayed cancer diagnosis not being dealt with properly by the NHS, Ombudsman report reveals

31 October 2016

People who complain to the NHS are often denied the answers they so desperately need, leaving them no choice but to bring their complaints to the Ombudsman’s service.

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New report shines a light on major failings by the DVLA in assessing people’s fitness to drive

19 October 2016

Vulnerable drivers have been left in limbo for years as a result of major failings by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in assessing people’s fitness to drive.

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Ombudsman publishes Service Charter with clear service commitments

26 July 2016

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman has today published a set of quality standards, which are commitments to people who use the service about what they can expect from it. The quality standards, available in the form of a Service...

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